Italian spirits company Campari Group announced Dec. 14 that it will acquire the Cognac brand Courvoisier from Beam Suntory.
The deal — the largest in Campari Group’s history — is valued at about $1.32 billion and expected to close in 2024.
Courvoisier, along with Henessy, Martell and Rémy Martin, is one of the “big four” Cognac houses. The acquisition stands to make Cognac the fourth major leg of Campari Group, according to the company, along with aperitifs, bourbon and tequila.
Founded in 1828 by Félix Courvoisier in Jarnac, the Charente region of France, Courvoisier has been owned by Beam since 2008. Campari Group, founded in 1860 and headquartered in Milan, Italy, also includes Aperol, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Appleton Estate.
Campari has been purchasing superpremium French spirit brands in recent years, starting with the 2016 acquisition of the Grand Marnier Cognac-based liquor brand and distillery in France. The company then bought the Bisquit Dubouché Cognac brand and distillery in 2017, Trois Rivières rhums and distillery (in Martinique) in 2019, Champagne Lallier in 2020, and the aperitif Picon in 2022.
Feature image by Deeliver on Unsplash.
