Industry & Business

International drinks group, Quintessential Brands, has acquired the First Ireland Spirits Company, Ireland’s largest independent producer of Irish cream liqueurs and Irish country creams, for an undisclosed sum. The multi-million Euro investment is part of Quintessential Brands’ on-going strategy to acquire drinks companies that complement its existing portfolio of brands, enhance its industry services and provide additional route to market capabilities in line with Quintessential Brands’ ambitious growth and investment plans.

First Ireland Spirits was established in 1993 and employs around 50 people. It is based in Abbeyleix, Co. Laois with an international sales and marketing hub in Dublin. The company produces and sells over 700,000 cases of Irish cream liqueurs across 35 markets worldwide for some of the world’s largest retailers and drinks companies. It is Ireland’s leading independent producer of private label Irish cream liqueurs and its leading producer of branded and private label Irish cream liqueurs.

First Ireland Spirits’ main brands include O’Mara’s Irish Country Cream, Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur and The Dubliner Irish Whiskey Liqueur while leading private label clients include SuperValu, Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Asda, Walmart and Woolworths (Australia). It has a presence in markets as diverse as Mexico, Peru, Russia, Nigeria, USA and Germany.

Quintessential Brands’ co-founder and chairman, Enzo Visone, comments: “The acquisition of First Ireland Spirits gives us an unrivalled position in the global market for Irish cream liqueurs and is part of our strategy to become a leading European independent player in the spirits industry. First Ireland Spirits has well-established customer and international distribution platforms, a strong portfolio of brands and proven production capabilities, which will add to our branded and private label businesses, enhance our route to market capability and open up new opportunities in other dynamic spirits and liqueurs categories. The acquisition by Quintessential Brands ensures management and employees of First Ireland Spirits have an exciting future as we pursue our ambitious plans to expand our operations in Ireland.”

Owen Brady, one of the founders of First Ireland Spirits, says:  “Having created First Ireland Spirits in 1993 and built the business over the last 20 years it is an appropriate point in time for First Ireland Spirits to become part of a larger spirits group. As part of Quintessential Brands, First Ireland Spirits will now have the opportunity to grow sales in the international Irish cream markets as well as expand into other Irish spirits categories. I am very proud of what we have built over the years and this deal represents an exciting opportunity for the company and its employees.”

The Quintessential Brands Group was founded by Enzo Visone, former CEO of Gruppo Campari, and former investment banker, Warren Scott, in 2011.  The Group includes the companies Quintessential Brands, G&J Distillers, the distilling and bottling division, and Essential Drinks, the business to business supply division. The Quintessential Brands Group entered into a partnership with Marblehead Brand Development in the UK in 2013.

The Quintessential Brands portfolio includes Greenall’s Original Gin, BLOOM Gin, Berkeley Square London Dry Gin, Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin and Toussaint Coffee Rum Liqueur, which are all produced by G&J Distillers.