Atom Brands' spirits portfolio. (Photo: Atom Brands)
Brewing giant AB InBev has sold Atom Group and its subsidiaries, Master of Malt, Atom Brands and Maverick Drinks, back its founder, The Spirits Business reported Tuesday. The move comes six years after the company was purchased for an undisclosed sum.
ZX Ventures, AB InBev's growth and innovation unit, inked a deal to purchase Atom Group in April 2018 from founder Justin Petszaft. While Atom Brands and Maverick Drinks are a spirit producer and distributor respectively, Master of Malt describes itself as the “number one online whisky retailer in the world." Offering vintage spirits, tequila, rum, gin and more, the website was created by Petszaft in 1999.
"We went into the AB InBev relationship with a lot of excitement and energy, and a lot of hope about what could be accomplished together; we felt they were as ambitious and excited by how technology could transform the drinks industry as we were," Petszaft told The Spirits Business.
Reflecting on the deal, Petszaft says that "Atom was still too early in its life cycle" to fit well within the AB InBev ecosystem. The company has now reverted to an independent, "100% founder-owned business."
In addition to its retailing arm, Atom Group owns brands including Bathtub Gin, Boutique-y Whisky and Rumbullion.
AB InBev has yet to provide a statement explaining its rationale for the sale. Best known for beer brands Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Modelo, the company announced promising sales figures earlier this month that reiterated its position as the largest brewer in the world. Through ZX ventures — the subsidiary that initially acquired Atom Group — the company has purchased leading brands like Goose Island and Cutwater Spirits alongside startups including BioBrew and Beer Hawk.
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