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DIAGEO IS SET to sell Northern Ireland based whiskey firm Bushmills as part of a swap deal with Jose Cuervo to take on a fast growing tequila brand.
As part of the deal, Diageo will receive $408 million from Casa Cuervo as well as outright global ownership and control of Tequila Don Julio.
The Bushmills brand will in return be transferred to the Mexican-owned firm with the deal expected to go through early next year.
Diageo has been in control of the Antrim based Bushmills distillery for the past nine years and says that in that time it has invested £80 million.
“We are immensely proud of these achievements,” Diageo’s Colin O’Brien said upon this morning’s announcement.
We are confident that Jose Cuervo – a company with a proven commitment to its people and to valuing the history and heritage of its brands – will continue to nurture Bushmills in the future.
As part of the deal, an agreement that Casa Cuervo produces and distributes Diageo’s Smirnoff brand in Mexico will also be terminated early.
Diageo’s chief executive Ivan Menezes says that the group has already established itself in the tequila sector and that this deal will allow them to “build our presence in the world’s fastest growing markets”.
Diageo has also said that, in the six months to the end of June, 800,000 cases of Bushmills worth £57 million have been sold.
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Whiskey beats tequila all day.
Well it is down to the taste of the individual, the irish market had only 2 bad brands of tequila available.Travel to mexico and you have over 1000 types of tequila and you dont neck em but drink em slowly as they are gentle on troat if good. Salud
Dont know if youve tasted Don Julio, but it knocks bushmills out of the park!
Irish whiskies are the smoothest – Jameson, Paddy, Power etc. ( Clontarf from Aldi is excellent also )
But a good tequila like Don Julio is quite smooth also, different buzz.
I drank many types of tequila during my travels up & down through Mexico & grew fond of it, even though I’m a Jameson man to the core – 1780 if I’m flush, – beyond that is just too much self indulgence, for me anyway.
Bushmills, I wouldn’t use as mouthwash, – They’re welcome to it…
You’re all very anti-Bushmills on this site :(
In the words of McNulty, “Thats protestant whiskey”
They tried renaming it to Bushmills Loyal Ulster Protestant Whiskey, but it was a PR disaster. Nobody wants to buy that. Plus, it’s very difficult to fit onto a label.
It’s hard to beat a Black Bush or a 10 year old single malt. Hope this is a change for the better. Time will tell!
I agree Cabe, but there’s a lot of Bush haters on the journal. Redbreast is the best btw.
Bushmills 10 year old single malt is a winner and good value too, much better than the blended whiskey in Irish pubs. Diageo have done very little to expand the brand in the last 10 years compared to Pernod Rickard in Midleton. Jim Beam took over Cooley and thing have gone boring regarding rare new releases. Very exciting to see Grants in Tullamore. The future is very bright for Irish whiskey.
Ohhh…. Can’t agree with redbreast though, has a scotch undertone which I could never drink or get used to, Each to their own.
Midleton VR or Green Spot are my favourites. Redbrest has won many awards, the 12 year old tastes better than the 15 year old which costs 95euro a bottle and 12euro a shot in most pubs. Had a shot of 12 year old Knappouge Castle in Tig Naughtons in Galway during the summer it was a fresh, clean, smooth Irish whiskey distilled at bushmills cant wait to try the Knappouge twin wood!
The future is indeed bight :) Although Pernod didn’t do very much for Bushmills either. They always seemed to concentrate (understandably) on Jameson, Paddy, Powers etc. It was Diageo who doubled production of Bushmills and built about 10 new warehouses on the site of the distillery. Hopefully Jose Cuervo continues with the investment.
Very surprised Diageo didn’t make more progress with Bushmills, great brand with huge potential to rival Jameson.
Blackbush is a lovely drop.
Nicest irish whiskey out there!
Ireland’s best whiskey, and great value at €14.50 per litre bottle in Frankfurt duty free.
Ross – Personal choice I suppose. Jameson for me all the way.
#Ross, don’t you mean the UK’s best whisky? If you want Irish whiskey, do yourself a favour, have *Irish* whiskey.
Sheldon, your a real a…..e, do you know thar?
Irish whiskey has to be distilled and matured for at least 5 years in Ireland or it cant be called Irish whiskey.
Naw. Redbreast fuisce for me.
Of course distro did this since they took over Guinness they got rid of more than half the work force brought in contract workers and increased hrs etc for staff.my family member spent months fighting the rights of the workers in court since they took over
Great to see Irish whiskey making a comeback. I am not whiskey drinker, but I can appreciate that it is a high quality product, receiving a lot of recognition abroad.
In times of recession, it makes sense for us to develop our successful native industries – such as our agriculture, food and drinks industries.
Whiskey also supports our tourist industry as well. The famous ‘Tullamore Dew’ brand have opened a beautiful new distillery and heritage centre, just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly.
This will help support, much needed, tourism, trade & jobs in the Midlands.
Their should be a whiskey distillery in every county in Ireland imho……….. Tullamore Dew vistor centre is in the town of Tullamore beside the canal.
Bushmills do a 12 year old Single Malt that can only be bought at the Distillery at £37.95 a bottle. I was never a whiskey drinker, bar the odd hot one when I had a cold but when I tasted the 12 yr old and I have to say I’ve never tasted anything so nice out of a whiskey bottle. As I live in Derry City it is easy for me to get this Malt…..if you get the chance I would recommend it….ignore all the flegs in the village and go straight to the Distillery……your in for a real treat…..or call in to see me and I’ll give you a wee one.
Buy Irish whiskey that is still owned and run by an Irish company not some multinational like Diagio or Jim Beam. If there is any even left.
I wonder will their next bottle have a worm incerted
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