Top 8 family-owned spirits companies
While many companies merge or launch on the stock exchange, there are a number of firms that have remained true to their family values – we reveal our top eight family-owned spirits companies
Mixing business and family must be no mean feat, but a select number of brands seem set on keeping financial affairs in the family.
From spirits newbies to industry stalwarts, multi-national firms to category-specific distilleries, SB picks out 10 companies which, in spite of challenges and tribulations, prove that blood really is thicker than water.
Click through the following pages to discover the top 10 family owned spirits companies.
Jose Cuervo
The very first Vino Mezcal de Tequila de Jose Cuervo was made in 1795 by Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo, after his son Jose María Guadalupe de Cuervo obtained a permit to produce the spirit commercially following a time of prohibition – and this move is widely regarded as the “birth of the Tequila industry”. Jose Cuervo has always been family-owned and is run today by the Beckmann family of Mexico – direct descendants of Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo. Juan-Domingo “Dobel” Beckmann, son of Don Juan Beckmann, is the sixth-generation leader of the company. The company is reportedly looking to raise up to US$1 billion in an initial public offering – so how long the firm remains family-owned is yet to be seen.
Douglas Laing
Established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing – or FDL as he was known, pictured on the right – Douglas Laing & Co. is now in its third generation, led by Fred Hamilton Laing (Fred Jr., pictured on the left) and his daughter, Cara Laing. Following his RAF days through World War II, ‘FDL’ worked with an American friend, developing two blended Scotch whiskies and selling them throughout the US and Europe, before taking sole ownership of the business. In 1972 Fred Jr. joined his father in spearheading the business, which had by then been established for some 24 years, and much later, in 2013, Cara Laing, Fred’s daughter, and her husband Chris Leggat became director of whisky and commercial director respectively.
Chase Distillery
Chase Distillery was founded in June 2008 by William Chase. Having been a potato farmer for 20 years, he turned his attention first to crisps, creating Tyrrells, and then on to spirits, with the launch of Chase Vodka. The team has since expanded to include family members James Chase, head ambassador; and Harry Chase, head of the farm. Last year, Chase penned an autobiography titled One Potato, Two…, depicting his ascent from a “bankrupt potato farmer” to the entrepreneur he is today.
William Grant & Sons
In 1886, aspiring distillery owner William Grant – along with his family of nine – had saved enough money to buy a piece of land at Glenfiddich, and built the distillery brick by brick within a year. On Christmas Day 1887, the first sprit ran from the stills at the distillery, and the company was born. Fast forward 129 years, and the company has remained an independent family company for five generations, and Grant’s original legacy to create ‘the best dram in the valley’ extends to all the company’s spirits ventures.
Bacardi
Bacardi was founded in 1862 by Facundo Bacardí Massó, a Spanish wine merchant. After creating the world’s first white rum, Bacardi set up the Santiago de Cuba distillery, where fruit bats lived in the rafters – the inspiration for the Bacardi bat logo. Don Facundo’s sons, Emilio, Facundo and José, along with Emilio’s brother-in-law Henri Schueg, entered the business, and it was said to be Schueg’s “business genius” that transitioned Bacardi into an international brand it is today. Now, Bacardi has been family-owned for seven generations.
The Teeling Whiskey Company
The Teeling family has its roots in Irish whiskey distilling, beginning in 1782 when Walter Teeling set up a craft distillery on Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties area of Dublin. From then, a 230-year tradition of distilling began within the Teeling family, most recently marked with the opening of The Teeling Whiskey Distillery – just around the corner from Walter’s distillery all those years ago. The latest generation of Teelings, Jack and Stephen, aim to continue on the family’s legacy while bringing distilling back into the heart of Dublin.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
The most historic firm in the list is Berry Bros. & Rudd. In 1698, the company started life as a grocery, founded by a woman known only as the Widow Bourne. She established a shop at No. 3 St James’s Street in London, and later her daughter Elizabeth, and husband, William Pickering, ran the business, before it was passed to her two sons. The business continued to pass through the family until it became the charge of George Berry, whose sons George Jr. and Henry, took over in 1845 – lending to the ‘Berry Bros.’ aspect of the firm’s name. The Rudd family joined the Berrys in the early 20th century for a partnership that would continue until the present day.
Glenfarclas
The distillery was first granted a license in 1836, established by the previous tenant farmer Robert Hay. In 1865 it was bought by John Grant for £511.19s.0d and is still owned and run by his descendants to this day. From John, this distillery was first passed down to his son George, who, in 1890, passed away, leaving the license to his widow and his two eldest sons, John and George. They took on the distillery together, until John became unwell, and George continued alone. His son, George S. Grant, was to be his successor, and he was then succeeded by his son, current chairman John L.S. Grant, who joined Glenfarclas in 1973. In turn, his son, George S. Grant, is now director of sales.
