Cover
Story
Brand Brand
Stand
30 / the tasting panel / july 2009
The Pernod Ricard
portfolio has depth,
breadth and style . . .
and the company
has strategies
to match
by David Gadd
photos by Cathy Twigg-Blumel
Absolut Mango is
the latest in the
Swedish-made brand's
line of fl avored vodkas.
W
hen Swedish
superstar brand
Absolut vodka
went to Pernod Ricard in the
spring of 2008, it was the third
crown in the French-owned
company's trifecta. Pernod had
previously acquired key Seagram
brands in 2001 and scored the cov-
eted Allied Domecq portfolio in 2005.
With the clinching of the Absolut deal
through the purchase of Absolut's par-
ent company, Vin & Sprit, Pernod Ricard
became the second largest spirits and wine
company in the United States by sales value.
The roster of "household name" spirits
brands under the Pernod Ricard umbrella now
includes not just Absolut—the number-one-selling
premium off-premise vodka in the U.S. and the
number-two brand world-
wide—but also iconic labels such as
Jameson Irish whiskey, The Glen-
livet single malt and Chivas Regal
blended scotch, Malibu fl avored
rum, Kahlúa liqueur, Beefeater
and Plymouth gins and, of
course, historic French-made
liqueurs Pernod and Ricard,
among many others.
But the French giant
is not about to rest on
its brand equity. The
company supports its
world-class brands
with a comprehensive
marketing and sup-
port strategy that is
directed, managed
