Emperador acquires Spanish brandy producer

MANILA, Philippines - The liquor unit of Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI), the investment holding firm of tycoon Andrew Tan, has bought a Spanish brandy producer from liquor and wine conglomerate González Byass S.A.

The acquisition of a foreign brand will boost the image of Emperador Distillers Inc. as a global brand, a company official said.

“Emperador will acquire a 100-percent interest in Bodega San Bruno S.A. The acquisition will include the San Bruno trademark, which has been registered since 1942,” AGI told the local stock exchange.

The deal also includes the San Bruno’s vineyards in Jerez, the brandy-producing region of Spain, and a sizable inventory of high-quality and well-matured brandy, AGI added.

Emperador, which signed the acquisition agreement with González Byass, one of the largest and oldest liquor and wine conglomerates in Spain, did not disclose the acquisition cost.

“We are very pleased with our acquisition of San Bruno, which will enable us to own one of the world’s best brandy stock – some of it quite rare and aged for more than 40 years in the bodegas,” Emperador president Winston Co said.

“This acquisition will also further strengthen our position as the world’s number one brandy company by volume and help boost our competitiveness as a global brandy producer,” he added.

Last year, Emperador sold more than 31 million cases of brandy. The AGI subsidiary is the largest liquor firm in the Philippines.

In May, Emperador purchased a Biñan, Laguna production facility from the Philippine unit of Diageo, the world’s biggest premium drinks group, for an undisclosed price.

Diageo produces a wide collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. Among these brands include Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Guinness, which are sold in more than 180 countries.

With the new facility, Emperador targets to increase its production and technical capabilities as it promotes Emperador as a global brand.

To date, Emperador produces and sells Emperador, Generoso and Emperador Light brandies and a line of flavored alcoholic beverages called The Bar.