Bacardi prepares for growth; Makes Scottish land grab

Hey Kids.

I'm traveling to Kentucky today to visit Maker's Mark and Jim Beam.

Bourbon? On The Scotch Blog??

Why the hell not. Maybe it's time to change this site to "The Whisk(e)y Blog".

I'm also hoping to get a chance to visit one of the lesser talked about Kentucky whiskey institutions. Blue Grass cooperage? No. But maybe I'll try to fit that in as well. Stay tuned.

And remember Keep the feedback coming in for THE DRAMMIES. They don't want everyone to know, but many in the industry like The Drammies the best because it represents what YOU like.

Plus, it has the coolest name of ANY whisky award.

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On November 8th, Bacardi, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, announced the purchase of a 106 acre parcel of land, which will eventually be the site for a new "maturation, blending and storage facility" for their Dewar's portfolio.

The land is located in South Lanarkshire, about 25 miles outside of Glasgow, between Douglas and Lesmahagow, and is to be acquired from Scottish Coal, part of Scottish Resources Group.

Dewar's plans to develop the site to accommodate bonded warehouses and a bulk and blend center capable of housing more than a million casks. Plans call for having the first phase operational by January 2009.  Construction is planned to be undertaken in consecutive phases, starting in 2008 with an estimated completion in 2018.

The land deal is part of a previously announced $250 million investment in Scotch whisky production over the next 10 years. The investments are primarily to expand to keep up with the demand in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and other emerging markets.

Jon Grey, Vice President, Bacardi Global Operations:

Buying this piece of land in Scotland—known worldwide for its premium whisky—is the cornerstone of one of the most significant investments ever in the Scotch industry. Bacardi has always invested heavily behind our brands and their heritage.

I don't spend much time talking about Dewar's, but it is important to note that is is the number-one selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States, beating even Johnnie Walker.

Founded in 1846 by John Dewar Sr., John Dewar and Sons Limited has grown from a small wine and spirits merchant shop in Perth, Scotland, to become a global brand. Today, DEWAR’S is one of the largest whisky brands in the world, and the top selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States. The foundation stone of the portfolio is the WHITE LABEL blend, which was first created in 1899.

The Bacardi blended Scotch whisky portfolio is broken into 2 distinct lines: Dewar's & William Lawson.

The Dewar's line includes the ubiquitous Dewar's White Label; Dewar's 12 Years Old Special Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky; Dewar's 18 Years Old Founder’s Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky; Dewar's Signature Blended Scotch Whisky; and Dewar's 15 Years Old Blended Highland Malt Whisky. While on the Lawson's side there's Willam Lawson's Finest Blended Scotch Whisky, and Willam Lawson's Scottish Gold 12 Years Old Blended Scotch Whisky.

It's a little confusing as Bacardi groups both the blended Dewar's brands and single malt Aberfeldy under the "Dewar's" umbrella.

On the single malt whisky side, Bacardi currently operates six five distilleries: Aberfeldy, Macduff, Aultmore, Craigellachie and Royal Brackla.

The broader Bacardi portfolio includes (among others) the top-selling Bacardi Rum; the much over-hyped Grey Goose vodka; the old guard Bombay gin; and the very tasty Bombay Sapphire gin.

 

Comments

[Gregor]

I think Bacardi currently operates five distilleries; Glen Deveron and Macduff are the same distillery (Macduff Distillery).

[Kevin Erskine]

Good catch Gregor. Glen Deveron is a brand/label produced at MacDuff distillery.

[Ian Buxton]

Glen Deveron is the brand name they use for the single malt from the MacDuff distillery. The company was owned by Martini before Bacardi bought them out about 15 (or so) years ago. As a result it is strong in regions where the old Martini company was strong - France & Italy especially. The William Lawsons blend sells over 1m cases annually, and is very strong in France.
Bacardi also own Martini, Noilly Prat (possibly the best vermouth in the world), Benedictine, 42 Below (trendy New Zealand vodka - don't ask!), Eristoff vodka, Cazadores tequila, the list just goes on and on.
Aberfeldy is marketed under the Dewar's label, especially in the USA, as a) it was the original Dewar family distillery (c1896) and b) it's the single malt at the heart of the Dewar's blends and accounts for the softer, sweeter Dewar house style.
I know they claim White Label was created in 1899 in their publicity material but that may be a little on the optimistic side!

I should get out more!

[J. Board]

While restoring a home on the National Historic Registry, we found an old bottle of John Dewar and Sons scotch whiskey. The main label is off but the markings and some stickers/cork cover are undeniable. IT has not been opened. With the recent sale of the $54,000 bottle of scotch (not as old) with Christies, I was wondering if anyone knew how I could find the value of this one and how might one go about selling it? Thank you.