US-based multinational brewer Molson Coors is continuing to diversify beyond the beer space with the acquisition of Blue Run Spirits, a bourbon and rye whiskey producer, for an undisclosed sum.
With the acquisition, the firm’s first in the spirits category, the company said it would expand its portfolio and offering a more premium range of products. The deal will more than double the size of Molson Coors’ spirits team and create a new division, Coors Spirits Co., to house Blue Run, Five Trail Blended American Whiskey, and Barmen 1873 Bourbon.
The deal is part of Molson Coors’ strategy to become a “total beverage company”, the company added.
Commenting on the acquisition, Molson Coors chief commercial officer Michelle St Jacques said: “Molson Coors has been on a journey to broaden beyond our beer roots and build powerful brands in growing categories, and Blue Run joining us is an exciting next step as we establish Coors Spirits Co”.
“Blue Run has accomplished in three years what many brands hope to do in a generation and has done it at the luxury end of the whiskey category”, she added. “Importantly, we are committed to maintaining Blue Run’s well-known quality, design and innovation as we continue to grow our spirits portfolio”.
Molson Coors said it would follow through on Blue Run Spirits’ plans to build a distillery in Kentucky and launch three new whiskies in late summer / autumn.
Source: Molson Coors