US spirits specialist Brown-Forman has re-entered the gin category through the acquisition of the owner of Fords Gin, New York-based The 86 Company.
Brown-Forman announced that it would be re-entering the gin category yesterday (10 June), adding Fords Gin to its portfolio of spirits. The Kentucky-based business is the owner of brands including Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, The Glendronach, Herradura and Chambord.
The 86 Company is headquartered in New York, while Fords Gin is made in London and is a collaboration between Simon Ford and Master Distiller Charles Maxwell of Thames Distillers.
The gin, which has nine botanicals including juniper, grapefruit and jasmine, was launched in 2012 specifically targeting the cocktail sector.
Lawson Whiting, president and chief executive officer of Brown-Forman, said: “Fords Gin is a unique brand with terrific momentum in one of the fastest growing categories in spirits. We look forward to building Fords Gin into another iconic brand in our portfolio.”
Simon Ford, co-founder of The 86 Company, added: “Brown-Forman is a great partner to bring Fords Gin to more bartenders and consumers in the U.S. and around the world while keeping our commitment to producing a unique, high quality, mixable gin.
“We’re extremely thankful to all our supporters who have been championing the brand since the beginning and look forward to seeing what the future holds with our new collaborators.”
Ford and the team at The 86 Company will remain “a key part of the building and crafting of Fords Gin going forward”, a statement from Brown-Forman reported.
The acquisition includes the Fords Gin trademark and other assets associated with The 86 Company. The transaction is expected to complete in 30 days – the financial details were not disclosed.
While the Brown-Forman portfolio currently does not include gin, the spirits corporation rolled out an entry-level spirt called Stellar Gin across several cities in the US in 2005. The brand appears to have been discontinued. The company also had its own gin brand – Brown-Forman Distiller London Dry Gin – which was available in the early 1900s.
