Brown-Forman Corp. is divesting Early Times, its first purchased liquor brand, along with Canadian Mist and Collingwood, in an effort to concentrate on premium brands.
The three brands are being sold to Sazerac, a privately held, family-owned distiller based in New Orleans. The sale is expected to close this summer. Sazerac bought Southern Comfort and Tuaca from Brown-Forman in 2016.
At 160 years, Early Times bourbon is even older than Brown-Forman, and it was the first brand the company purchased, in 1923. Canadian Mist, purchased in 1971, was its first brand produced outside the United States.
“We are delighted to acquire such iconic brands as well as the Canadian Mist Distillery,” Mark Brown, president and CEO of Sazerac, said in a statement. “Brown-Forman has done an excellent job building these brands over the years, and we expect to invest in the brands and grow their sales in the coming years.”
