 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Alcoholic beverages |
| Founded | 1850 (1850) |
| Founder | Thomas H. Handy |
| Headquarters | Metairie, Louisiana, United States |
Key people | William Goldring, Chairman[1][2] |
| Products | Spirits |
| Website | sazerac |
Sazerac Company, Inc., is a privately held Americanalcoholic beverage company headquartered inMetairie in themetropolitan area ofNew Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office inLouisville, Kentucky.[3] The company is owned byWilliam Goldring and his family. As of 2017[update], it operated ninedistilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.[4][5][6]
The company was founded in 1869 after the purchase by Thomas H. Handy of the Sazerac Coffee House, a bar and importer of a brand of cognac namedSazerac de Forge.[3] The coffee house itself had been established in 1850.[5] After its purchase, Handy's company began to acquire and market more brands of liquor. According to the company, the Sazerac Coffee House had been named after acocktail called theSazerac that was created in the mid-1800s by the immigrant Antoine Amédée Peychaud, who operated apharmacy onRoyal Street in theFrench Quarter of New Orleans in 1838.[3] The company publishes a Sazerac recipe and produces aPeychaud's Bitters named after Peychaud, which is an ingredient in the traditional Sazerac cocktail.[7][8]
William Goldring began buying shares of the company in 1984, and eventually purchased the entire company.[5]
In 2009, the company's principal office was moved to Louisville, Kentucky, reflecting an increased company focus onbourbon whiskey production. However, the Sazerac Company still maintains an active presence in the New Orleans area, and it also has operations inCarson[3] andLoomis,[9]California;Baltimore, Maryland;Chicago, Illinois;[10]Bardstown,[11]Frankfort,[12] andOwensboro, Kentucky;[11]Fredericksburg, Virginia;[13]Montreal, Quebec, Canada;[14]Lewiston, Maine;[15]Londonderry, New Hampshire;Newport, Tennessee;[16] andSegonzac, France.[17]
In 2014, Sazerac announced the creation of the Bond & Royal Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, to take over the specialty and craft segment of its brands from the Gemini Spirits and Wine portfolio including Dimmi, an Italian liqueur,[18] and the Casa San Matias, manufacturer of Corazón tequila.[19]
In 2016, the company had an estimated revenue of $1 billion per year and a market valuation estimate of $4.5 billion.[5] The valuation placed Goldring in theBloomberg Billionaires Index with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion.[5]
In October 2019, Sazerac opened The Sazerac House, a museum and distillery in New Orleans.[20]
In 1989, Sazerac acquired several brands fromSeagram, includingMcAfee's Benchmark andEagle Rare (Kentucky straight bourbon),Nikolai (vodka),Dr. McGillicuddy's, (liqueur) andFireball Cinnamon Whisky.[21]
In 1992, Sazerac acquired theGeorge T. Stagg Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, at which time the company's primary focus became the production of bourbon whiskey, a product that is primarily distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky, later changing its name to theBuffalo Trace Distillery in 1999.[12]
In 1994, Sazerac acquired Monsieur Henri, a wine and specialty spirits company.[citation needed] In 2007, it was announced that they were changing its name to Gemini Spirits and Wine; it is headquartered inLoomis, California.[9]
In 1999, Sazerac acquired theW.L. Weller bourbon brands.[22]
In 2002, Sazerac entered an agreement with the Van Winkle family to produce itsPappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve andOld Rip Van Winkle bourbon and rye whisky brands at its Buffalo Trace Distillery.[23]
In 2003, Sazerac acquired theA. Smith Bowman Distillery, located in Fredericksburg, Virginia.Virginia Gentleman, a bourbon whiskey, is distilled there.[13]
In March 2009, Sazerac completed its acquisition ofConstellation Brands value-priced spirit assets. The purchase includedVery Old Barton and several other bourbon brands, a distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, and a bottling and warehousing facility in Owensboro, Kentucky.[24] In June 2009, Sazerac acquired theOld Taylor Bourbon label and barrel inventory fromBeam Global Spirits & Wine, now known asSuntory Global Spirits[25]
In June 2009, Sazerac sold Effen Vodka toFortune Brands. After a restructuring of Fortune Brands and an acquisition bySuntory, Effen has since become aSuntory Global Spirits brand.[26]
In September 2011, Sazerac entered into an agreement withCorby Distilleries Limited, to purchase 17 Corby owned brands as part of the agreement made with the other brands acquired from Corby Distilleries Limited.[27] The deal also included shares of Corby's manufacturing and bottling facilities in Montreal.[14] The distillery was eventually renamed as the Old Montreal Distillery, and distillation of new spirit was resumed there.[28]
In October 2011, Sazerac acquired 32 brands from White Rock Distillery, most notably Ryan's Irish cream liqueur.[29][30]
In May 2012, Sazerac acquired several more brands from White Rock Distillery including Tenure England vodka.[31]
In October 2012, Sazerac acquired Gran Gala, a liqueur brand, fromStock Spirits.[32]
In October 2013, Sazerac bought a distillery, including land and equipment in Lewiston, Maine, from Beam Inc. (now known as Suntory Global Spirits).[15] By 2017, the name of the distillery was changed to Boston Brands of Maine. TheMr. Boston premium spirits line of Brandies is distilled there.[33]
In 2014, Sazerac entered into a licensing and distribution agreement withThe Wine Group, to market its Big House Bourbon,Concannon Irish Whiskey, and Piedra Azul Tequila.[34]
In October 2015, Sazerac acquired Michael Collins, an Irish whiskey from the Sidney Frank Importing Company.[35] Also in 2015, Sazerac added Van Gogh Imports, changing its name to 375 Park Avenue Spirits, as an independent, but fully integrated, division in its portfolio.[36] The company also entered an agreement withLa Martiniquaise to be the US distributor of its Saint-VivantArmagnac brand, produced inFrance.[37]
In 2016, Sazerac entered into an agreement withArcusGruppen to be the US distributor of its Lysholm Linie, Aalborg Taffel, and Aalborg JubilaeumsAquavit brands produced inNorway.[38]
In March 2016, Sazerac completed the purchase of theSouthern Comfort andTuaca brands fromBrown-Forman, Inc.[39] That same month, Sazerac acquired Hi-Spirits to take over the distribution of its products in the UK.[40]
On May 31, 2016, Sazerac entered a long-term Canadian national distribution agreement with Charton Hobbs, Inc. a wine and spirits company.[41]
In May 2016, Sazerac announced that had finalized a deal withPernod Ricard'sIrish Distillers to acquire itsPaddy Whiskey brand.[42]
In September 2016, Sazerac acquired The Last Drop Distillers, anindependent bottler of Scotch whiskey,[43] and Australian spirit maker South Trade International.[44]
In October 2016, Sazerac acquiredFrïs Vodka fromPernod Ricard.[45]
In December 2016, Sazerac announced its acquisition of The Popcorn Sutton Distillery in Newport, Tennessee.[16]
In December 2016, Sazerac announced that had acquired Domaine Breuil de Segonzac Cognac, including property located near the town ofSegonzac, France, nearCognac.[17]
On March 3, 2017, it was announced that Sazerac entered a joint venture withBittermens.[46]
In June 2017, it was announced that Sazerac had entered agreement withDictador to be the US distributor of its Rum products through its 375 Spirits division.[47]
In October 2017, it was announced that Sazerac entered an agreement withJohn Distilleries Private Limited (JDPL) the manufacturer ofPaul John Whisky to enter the India market.[48]
In November 2018, Sazerac announced it would acquire 19 spirits brands fromDiageo Plc, including John Begg blended Scotch, Seagram's V.O. Canadian whisky,Myers's rum, Parrot Bay rum liqueur, Romana Sambuca,Popov vodka,Yukon Jack whisky liqueur,Goldschläger cinnamon liqueur, Peligroso tequila, Grind liqueur andBooth's gin.[49][50]
In June 2020, the company announced it would acquireEarly Times andCanadian Mist,[51] including the latter's distillery in Ontario, from Brown-Forman. The acquisition included the barrel aging stocks related to the different brands as well.[52]
In March 2024, Sazerac announced plans to acquireBuzzBallz, a ready-to-drink cocktail brand.[53] The acquisition was complete in May 2024.[54]
In January 2025, Sazerac purchasedSvedka vodka fromConstellation Brands for an undisclosed sum.[55]
Sazerac beverage brands include:[56]
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