Scotch whisky firm Pernod Ricard reports 7% Scottish sales rise

Image source, Chivas

The second largest distiller of Scotch whisky has reported full-year financial results, with sales from Scotland up 7%.

Pernod Ricard, based in France, owns Chivas, Glenlivet and Ballentine's.

The company also owns a wide range of wines and spirits from other parts of the world.

These include Jacob's Creek wine, Martell brandy, Malibu, Perrier-Jouet champagne, Beefeater gin, Jameson Irish whiskey and Absolute vodka.

Overall, it is also the second largest manufacturer of wines and spirits.

In figures for the year to June, sales were up 6% to nearly 拢8.3bn (鈧9.2bn).

Sales in China were up 21% and in India by 20%, but up by only 1% in the firm's European home market.

'Uncertain environment'

In the UK, it reported "very strong growth of spirits", with more than 10% growth for gin, Absolut vodka, Jameson whiskey, Chivas Scotch and Havana Club rum.

It also benefited from price rises in the UK for its Jacob's Creek wines, with Campo Viejo wines returning to growth in the second half of the year.

In Scotch, Pernod Ricard reported its Chivas brands had sales up 6% on an increase in volume of 2%. There was strong growth in Turkey, India, Japan, Eastern Europe and China as well as the UK, offsetting a decline in the USA.

Glenlivet single malt was up 9% by sales and 8% by volume, accelerating across the Americas and Asia, and doing best with its premium Founder's Reserve expression.

Sales of Royal Salute were up 16%, with production volume up 15%. It saw strong acceleration in Taiwan as well as at airports in the US and Asia.

Ballentine's was up 7%, driven by Russia, India, Turkey and sub-Saharan Africa, though it faced difficulties in its big French and Spanish markets.

Pernod Ricard has expanded its portfolio of drinks brands in the past year, including the acquisition of Malfy gin from Italy, a majority stake in Rabbit Hole bourbon and TX American whiskey.

Alexandre Ricard, the chairman and chief executive, said that in "particularly uncertain environment", the guidance to investors was of growth in the current financial year of between 5% and 7%.