World leading super-prem rum brand joins Brown-Forman portfolio

Brown-Forman Corporation will purchase the Diplomático Rum brand and related assets from Destillers United Group SL (Spain). Upon completion of the transaction, Brown-Forman will add the Diplomático Rum family of brands to its portfolio and acquire a production facility located in Panama.

The Diplomático Rum family of brands includes the first super- and ultra-premium rum and the second super-premium rum worldwide (IWSR, 2021). Super-premium rum has grown at an annual rate of 17 per cent over the past five years, with rum accounting for approximately 8 per cent of global spirits.

“Diplomático Rum will join our expanding portfolio, giving Brown-Forman a market leading entry into the fast-growing super-premium rum category. This aged rum brand has distinctive packaging, strong brand positioning, and is a delicious tasting spirit,” said Lawson Whiting, President and CEO, Brown-Forman Corporation. “As part of this acquisition, we will welcome more than 100 new employees to Brown-Forman.”

Destillers will continue to produce and age the unique, carefully-crafted, and complex Diplomático Rum in their original distillery at the foot of the Andes mountains in Venezuela.

“We are proud to have pioneered and been instrumental in developing the super-premium+ rum category around the world. Diplomático Rum is ready to accelerate its growth with Brown-Forman, one of the world’s most well-known spirits and wines companies. "We share a similar familial culture and know the brand will continue building on our legacy,” stated Destillers United Group SL, current owner of the Diplomático Rum brand.

Diplomático Rum is sold in more than 100 countries. Top markets include France, Germany, and the United States. In 2018, Diplomático was awarded Wine Enthusiast's prestigious "Spirit Brand of the Year," the first-ever rum to win in this category.

Diplomático Rum consists of three ranges of complex rums.

• The Traditional Range includes Planas, Mantuano, Reserva Exclusiva, and Selección de Familia
• The Prestige Range includes Single Vintage and Diplomático Ambassador, both aged 12 years and finished in Spanish sherry casks.
• The Distillery Collection includes a range of three limited production bottlings that showcase the distillery's unique distillation methods.

Settlement on the deal will be reached in 90 days time.