Rémy Cointreau

French drinks business with Scotch whisky interests controlled through the Bruichladdich Distillery Company.

The company as it exists today is a result of a 1990-91 merger of the holding companies of the Hériard Dubreuil and Cointreau families, which controlled E. Rémy Martin & Cie SA and Cointreau & Cie SA respectively. The House of Rémy Martin Cognac had been established in 1724, while Cointreau & Cie was formed in 1849 by the brothers Adolphe, a confectioner, and Edouard-Jean Cointreau. During the 1980s, the Rémy Martin Group as it then was diversified into Champagne, buying Charles Heidsieck Champagne in 1985, followed by Piper-Heidsieck Champagne three years later. 1989 saw Mount Gay Rum added to the portfolio, and from 1991 the trading name Rémy Cointreau was adopted, following the Rémy Martin and Cointreau merger. In 2001 the new company was again on the acquisition trail, purchasing Bols Royal Distilleries, which included the Bols and Metaxa brands. A decade later Rémy Cointreau sold its Champagne division to EPI, though it continued to act as the sole distributor of Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck. The firm entered the Scotch whisky business in September 2012, when it paid £58 million for Bruichladdich distillery, its bottling operation and brands.