AB InBev’s venture capital division ZX Ventures has acquired UK-based spirits company Atom Group for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition will include Atom Group’s three business units; spirits producer Atom Brands, online alcohol retailer Master of Malt and spirits distributor Maverick Drinks.
All three business units will now be owned by AB InBev, though Atom Group stated that it will retain its leadership structure and its core business goals.
Atom Brands spirits portfolio includes brands such as Ableforth’s, The Handmade Cocktail Company and The Blended Whisky Company.
A statement from Atom Brands said: “We’re absolutely delighted to announce that today we have entered into a partnership with ZX Ventures, a division of AB InBev focused on global growth and innovation.
“This partnership will allow us to move even faster towards our goals of sourcing and bottling the best whiskies, gins, and other spirits available anywhere, and distributing them to more people than ever before across the globe.
“The implications of this investment in terms of our ability to source and produce the world’s finest spirits really can’t be overstated – the resources, distribution channels and opportunities that are opened up by this deal are simply epic in scale.
“This deal will give us access to the resources needed to scale up our operations considerably – that means more incredible whisky for TBWC, more brands in the Boutique-y stable, the removal of the constraints around creating ever more exciting new brands, and crucially – the ability to bring all of our portfolio to more people than ever before across the globe.”
ZX Ventures e-commerce director Andy Logan said: “We loved the leadership team’s passion and enthusiasm for innovation and saw a really good cultural fit.
“We’re really excited about welcoming the Atom Group family into ZX Ventures and learning from the e-commerce expertise of the Master of Malt team.”
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