NEW YORK CITY (February 24, 2014) – William Grant & Sons and Rum Trading International Corp. are pleased to announce an agreement for the distribution of the Flor de Caña® family of Slow-Aged single-estate rums in the United States.
“We are extremely proud to enter into this agreement for the distribution of Flor de Caña, an authentic brand steeped in tradition,” said Jonathan Yusen, President and Managing Director, William Grant & Sons USA. “Flor de Caña has a fantastic range of premium and super-premium single estate aged rums and, as such, is a great complement to our current portfolio. We look forward to the partnership and to working closely to deliver continued and greater success for Flor de Caña and the William Grant & Sons portfolio.”
William Grant & Sons has been consistently recognized for its quality, picking up the prestigious Distiller of the Year title from the IWSC and ISC a combined 11 times over the past 15 years. The Company was founded with the birth of the Glenfiddich distillery more than 125 years ago in Dufftown, Scotland; Glenfiddich has become the world’s most awarded and best-selling Single Malt Scotch. The company’s portfolio also includes diverse premium offerings including The Balvenie, Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Milagro Tequila, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, and Reyka Vodka, each of which continues to enjoy sustained growth in their categories, as a result of the quality of the liquid, strategic marketing programs, and inspired efforts by the WGS sales organization. The dynamic team is regularly regarded and identified as an outstanding business partner by customers and distributors alike.
“With our shared passion for quality, respect for tradition, and independent family-owned status, William Grant & Sons is the perfect match for Flor de Caña rums,” stated Robert Collins, Managing Director, Flor de Caña. “The company has one of the strongest reputations for building brands for the long term, and currently boasts one of the fastest-growing portfolios in the US. We’re very excited to work together to continue to build on the success of Flor de Caña.”
For the past seven years, Flor de Caña’s sales, marketing and distribution in the United States has been handled by Campari America. CLN and Campari America have agreed to end their relationship when their current agreement expires on June 30, 2014. William Grant & Sons and Campari America will work cooperatively to transition the brand. Transition timing will be communicated at a later date.
“We thank the team at Campari America for all of their efforts on our behalf, growing the Flor de Caña brand to just under 100,000 9L cases in the US,” added Collins. “We wish them continued success as we begin the next phase of our journey with William Grant & Sons.”
Since 1890, Flor de Caña Rum has been independently owned and operated for five generations and is renowned for its handcrafted rum expertise. Handed down through the years, Flor de Caña still employs the same distillation, blending, and production process that has distinguished its rum for over a century. The master distiller brings continuity to the blending and maturation of the rum, which is distilled five times prior to ageing in white oak bourbon barrels, according to the methods practiced over five generations.
About William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch Grant’s® along with iconic premium spirits brands Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey and Milagro® Tequila.
William Grant & Sons has been honored as “Distiller of the Year” by the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition and International Spirits Challenge ten times over the past 15 years.
Founded in 1964, William Grant & Sons USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, Ltd. and features one of the fastest growing spirits portfolios in the USA with brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, Milagro Tequila, Grant’s, Hudson Whiskey, Gibson’s Finest, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Montelobos Mezcal, Lillet, Art In The Age, The Knot and Raynal French Brandy. For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.grantusa.com.
About Flor de Caña Rum
Celebrating more than 120 years of rum production, family-owned Flor de Caña is an award-winning Nicaraguan rum that utilizes a signature Slow-Aged™ process to offer a full portfolio of high-quality, naturally-aged rums. Flor de Caña premium and super premium rums are distilled and handcrafted from estate-grown sugar cane in a fully self-sustaining facility in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. Flor de Caña offers a diverse selection of aged rums, including Flor de Caña 4 Extra Seco, Flor de Caña 4 Añejo Oro; Flor de Caña 5 Añejo Clasico; Flor de Caña 7 Gran Reserva; Flor de Caña Centenario 12; Flor de Caña Centenario 18; and Flor de Cana Centenario 25, now available in duty-free. Flor de Caña recently introduced an elegant new design of the bottles and labels in response to the brand’s growing worldwide popularity. For more information, please visit www.flordecana.com.