Amber Beverage Group expands into Irish whiskey acquiring Walsh Whiskey

Amber Beverage Group (ABG) has announced the acquisition of the Irish whiskey company, Walsh Whiskey, for an undisclosed sum.

The global producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages said the acquisition took effect from 11 November 2021 with the existing management and staff remaining in place.

Dublin-based Walsh Whiskey, founded in 1999 by husband-and-wife team, Bernard and Rosemary Walsh, has two critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning brands: The Irishman and Writers’ Tears.

The brands are currently sold in over 50 countries, and with ABG’s current reach into 185 countries, it is anticipated that there will be further expansion as both these super-premium brands join the distributor’s core brands portfolio.

Amber said the acquisition is a “strategically significant move” for them as it marks the group’s first entry into the fast-growing Irish whiskey sector – a category which has outstripped all other spirits categories for over a decade, enjoying buoyant sales growth of 140 per cent between 2010-2020.

“This is a major step for us as a company. We already own and bottle 100 brands as well as distributing and selling more than 1,300 third-party brands. This is the first time we have entered into the whiskey sector and we are particularly pleased that ABG is now part of the consistently high-growth story that is the super-premium end of the Irish whiskey market,” Jekaterina Stuģe, ABG chief executive, said.

“We are thrilled to add this category to our portfolio by welcoming Walsh Whiskey into our Group. We look forward to working with Bernard and the team, whose knowledge of the Irish whiskey sector will prove invaluable to us as we develop.”

Bernard Walsh, who will continue as managing director, commented: “We are delighted to embark on a new phase of growth as part of Amber Beverage Group. Given the underlying strengths of our brands and of the long-term trajectory of Irish whiskey, this is a logical next step for us, providing a means of scaling up the business so that a greater number of consumers have the opportunity to participate in the search for the perfect drop or ‘taoscán’ of whiskey.

“I will continue to oversee all aspects of the business and in particular the development and production of our whiskeys, ensuring continuity of the same flavour profiles and high standards that have been the foundation of our success. Our talented team is excited by the greater opportunities that come from being part of Amber Beverage Group. I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the role that our dedicated team has played in helping make Walsh Whiskey the success it is today.”

Walsh Whiskey has been at the forefront of the revival of Irish Whiskey since its launch. The Irishman, the company’s original brand, is a suite of nine single malt-led whiskeys. Writers’ Tears is a range of eight pot-still-focused whiskeys.