William Grant & Sons has acquired Silent Pool Distillers, adding the UK gin producer to a portfolio that already includes Hendrick’s gin.
The family-owned spirits group said the production of Silent Pool’s gins will remain at its new asset’s Surrey Hills distillery.
William Grant plans to expand the presence of what a spokesperson for the group called Silent Pool’s “handcrafted spirit” in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.
Set up by Ian McCulloch and James Shelbourne in 2014, the “ultra-premium” gin is sold in more than 30 countries.
McCulloch, Silent Pool’s MD, said: “With William Grant & Sons’ global reach and brand-building expertise, there is no better partner to help drive the next chapter of Silent Pool Gin’s history.”
Silent Pool’s product portfolio includes its 43% abv namesake gin and Wry vodka. The company also markets gin and vodka under the Green Man Wildood brand, spirits sold in cardboard bottles.
In 2022, William Grant reported full-year revenues of £1.4bn ($1.55bn), a 12% increase year-on-year, of which roughly a third was earned in the US.
Speaking to Just Drinks in 2022, William Grant & Sons US president Paul Basford said: “Gin in the US is significantly less developed compared to other markets. It is continuing to nip away at vodka, targeting those drinkers at the premium-plus end of the segment. That is where the growth is and that is where we will continue to play. In the US you also have the famous Martini culture, which drives a lot of gin consumption.”
