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Edrington Confirms Plans for New Units in US, Asia, & Middle East

June 19, 2013 – Edrington Group will end its U.S. distribution agreement with Rémy Cointreau at the end of March, 2014, and will form Edrington USA as a wholly-owned subsidiary to take over importing and distribution for the company’s whisky and spirits portfolio. Remy executives confirmed the end of the partnership last week, but Edrington had declined to release specifics on its plans until after a major company-wide conference in Scotland earlier this month.

The company will also set up similar units in Southeast Asia and the Middle East to distribute The Macallan and Highland Park single malt Scotch whiskies, The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark blended Scotches, Brugal Rum, and Snow Leopard vodka. While the US market is the largest export market by volume for Scotch whisky in general, the new units will be responsible for around 26% of Edrington’s global sales.

In the US, Edrington and Rémy Cointreau’s US unit had worked together since 1985.  when Rémy’s US unit started handling distribution for Edrington’s Scotch whisky brands. Edrington had been working with Beam Global’s Asian unit in Southeast Asia, and the company’s new Singapore-based unit will take over in that region October 1. Middle East distribution will be handled in a Dubai-based  joint venture with FIX Wines & Spirits, which had been handling Edrington’s portfolio in the Middle East and Northern Africa for the last five years.

Links: Edrington Group