Pernod Ricard set to release first new whisky brand in 20 years

Pernod Ricard is set to release The Deacon Scotch Whisky in the second half of 2023, the first whisky brand it has released in 20 years and one that has been created in collaboration with Sovereign Brands, the fastest growing liquor beverage company in the US. It is Sovereign's first whisky release.

Pernod increased its minority stake in Sovereign in October last year, strengthening its presence in the US. But the partnership with Sovereign is about more than expansion.

Justin Strzadala will lead the Sovereign Brands team in Australia and he says, "Sovereign will be generating new brands for the French parent company in the years to come".

Sovereign was founded by brothers Brett and Brian Berish. The brothers make premium liquids en masse and are creative – and hugely successful – brand innovators and builders.

Berish visited Australia last month to meet with the Sovereign Brands team.

“We’ll have people in all countries from Pernod Ricard dedicated to focus on our brands. And it’s that micro-managing mentality of making sure when we go to sell the brand, there’s somebody on our team selling it. That’s what I want. I don’t want to mail it in. That’s not the goal," Berish told Drinks Trade.

Since Pernod took out its minority stake in Sovereign in 2021, Sovereign's portfolio has expanded to include the French super-premium sparkling wine Luc Belaire (circa 1 million 9L cases in 2021) and a range of Caribbean rums sold under the Bumbu brand (circa 300K 9L cases in 2021).

Before signing the partnership with Pernod Ricard, Berish said Sovereign had had interest from all of the big players who wanted a stake in a ‘smaller’ operation. But he felt the greatest connection with Alex Ricard (pictured above centre with Brett to the left and brother Brian to the right wearing The Deacon Scotch Whisky goggles).

“I like Alex Ricard. I believe in him. I need to feel that; I need to feel the same energy I get from my own father, you know? That you can look him in the eyes and they're excited and passionate and new brands.

“And I get to do exactly what we’re doing with this giant apparatus that we get to work around.”

Berish's father, Barry, was Jim Beam Brands’ president and chief executive, and a lifetime employee of the company. He joined as an assistant advertising manager in 1957, rose through the ranks to become president in 1984 and when he retired in 1997 Jim Beam was the largest US-owned distilled spirits company.

They were different times. But liquor and brand building is clearly in the blood and Sovereign is a huge success story. Its Belaire French Sparkling sold more than 10 million bottles in the US in 2022, with its success found in the off-premise market and it is the top selling French Sparkling in Korea, said Berish.

Importantly, Sovereign's brands do not sit in direct competition with any of Pernod's portfolio. Berish sees Sovereign's Bumbu Rums a little more premium than Havana while Belaire French Sparkling sits a little under the price point of Mumm and Perrier-Jouët but above the Mumm's Marlborough and Tasmania. There's a place for all of them.

Just two of Sovereign’s brands are in the Australian market to date: Belaire and Bumbu Rum.

When it comes to brand-building, Berish says he starts with a ‘backfill approach’: identifying the liquid – be it a ‘big dark cigar tasting rum’ out of Panama or a Rosé from Provence – and then going out to family businesses in the regions renowned for crafting that particular liquid.

For his Bumbu Rums, Berish visited 60-70 of the co-ops, contract bottlers and small houses around the Caribbean. He says it’s a process to see how the Berish and local manufacturers can align to get the brand up and running.

“Its about who do I see eye to eye with and can they produce what I want,” said Berish.

Bumbu comes in three expressions – Original, XO and Crème -  and is available in Australia. It’s a premium brand that has already found its place in the on-premise. Berish says Bumbu is the fastest growing on-premise rum brand in 80 countries, and is number one in the US and Canada.”

The Deacon is a blended Scotch whisky created in collaboration with Pernod Ricard. Berish describes it as ‘smokey, sweet and peat’, bottled in embossed copper, inspired by the copper stills in distilleries around Scotland. To be a deacon is to be the best in your trade.

“All the brands…they need to have a story. Because I don’[t have the dollars to market them like a big company, I need the brands to sell themselves.”

Berish says it will launch in 70 countries ‘all based on demand’. The first allocation to all 70 is already exhausted.

“They all want it. And that’s an example of what Pernod and Sovereign can do together is…we can give that new brand mentality with a bigger apparatus around it.”

“As long as I've got a great brand, as long as the consumer's happy and the trade's happy, I'm on my way and I'll get there eventually. And some are gonna take time, but I'll get there on each one because they have the core DNA, which is they taste great. There's a story behind them. The package is there, there's blood, sweat, and tears in these brands and they're gonna make it,” he said.