A triumvirate of rum brands has been added to the William Grant & Sons stable of mainly whisky brands.
Old Vatted Demerara (OVD), Wood's Old Navy and Vat 19, all of which were previously owned by Seagram, have made the switch to the whisky producer following a brief stint at Diageo and Pernod Ricard.
UK distributor First Drinks Brands will be responsible for the distribution, sales and marketing of the three brands that command combined sales of more than 100,000 cases in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
OVD rum is the leading dark rum in Scotland and like Wood's 100 Old Navy, a full strength dark rum (57 per cent ABV), is distilled in Guyana in the West Indies by Diamond Distillers.
Vat 19 is distilled and matured in cask in Trinidad by Angostura and is the leading golden rum brand in Northern Ireland.
Chris Mason, marketing manager of First Drinks Brands, said: "We are delighted to have the three rum brands in our growing portfolio at First Drinks. OVD is a big brand in Scotland and we shall leverage its success north of the border to further strengthen our relations with the Scottish trade while building the equity of all the brands in their respective strongholds across the UK."
William Grant & Sons has also added the Canadian whiskey brand, Gibson's Finest, from Diageo to a portfolio of brands headed by Glenfiddich, Grant's and The Balvenie.