History
Beginnings
In 1575 the Bols family opened their distillery t Lootsje (the little shed) in Amsterdam. The distillery was located outside the city walls on the post road to Haarlem, situated next to a stream. By 1612 the city's walls had expanded to encompass the distillery, and the stream was dug out into a canal called the Rozengracht because of rose nurseries in the area. Around the same time, a new stone building was constructed to house the distillery. The first official mention is in 1640 in Amsterdam town papers, where Pieter Jacobszoon Bols is documented as operator of t Lootsje on the Rozengracht.
Lucas Bols was born in 1652. His era corresponded with the Dutch golden age, when the Netherlands were a colonial power, and led the world in international commerce. The Dutch East India Company, of which Lucas was a major shareholder, brought exotic herbs, spices and fruits back to Amsterdam, and these were used to create new liqueurs and genevers.
During the 18th century, the Bols family became a very prosperous dynasty, but found itself becoming more and more detached from the day to day operation of the distillery. This lack of family leadership, along with the Continental Blockade of Napoleon, severely weakened the company, and when last male heir, Herman Bols, died in 1813, the company was offered for sale.
Van 't Wout era
Napoleon's defeat in 1815 sparked buying interest in the company, and Rotterdam financier Gabriël Theodorus van 't Wout acquired the firm with the condition that the company permanently retain the Bols name. New ownership revitalized the company. A price list from 1820 shows over 300 varieties of liqueurs, bitters, elixirs and gins; it is possible that some of these were never produced, and were merely disinformation aimed at competitors.
Van 't Wout succeeded in bringing the distillery back to profitability, but by 1822 a falling out with partner Coenraad Adriaan Temminck caused him to abandon his efforts with the company. In 1842 Van 't Wout wrote a manuscript entitled Distillateurs- en Liqueurbereiders Handboek door een oude patroon van 't Lootsje (English: Distillers and Liqueur makers Handbook by an old patron of "The Little Shed"), which is now in the Bols archives.
Moltzer family era
In 1868 the firm was again sold, this time to the Moltzer family who greatly expanded the company. In 1889, the Rozengracht canal was filled in order to provide a new major thoroughfare for Amsterdam. The old site was abandoned and a modern steam powered distillery was built in nearby Nieuw Vennep. Other distilleries were built in Scheveningen and in Emmerich, just over the Dutch border in Germany. In 1892, the company was reorganized into an LLC.
Former Dutch colonial possessions proved natural markets for the group's products, and a rapid international expansion followed. By the turn of the century, Bols was aggressively marketing its lines, and nearly all European dynasties had appointed them Royal Warrants. In 1873 Bols won a Fortschritts-Medaille at the Weltausstellung 1873 Wien and one year later became purveyor to the imperial court in Vienna. Other courts followed such as several kings and queens of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Monaco, and later in more modern times the courts of Ethiopia and Nepal.
After World War I, distilleries were started in France (1921), Poland (1922), Switzerland (1929), Canada (1932), South Africa (1933), Belgium (1934), Argentina (1935), Spain (1935) and the United States (1947). [4] Bols also grew through takeover, including the firms of Hoppe and Wynand Fockink, its largest competitor since 1679. In 1954, the last of the Moltzer family left the board of directors, and Bols Distilleries became a publicly traded company.
Diversification
Bols continued to expand its reach over the next few decades until it participated in almost every geographic market in the world. Management was quick to realize, however, that societal trends away from alcohol consumption, particularly spirits, threatened the company. Genever was still a large component of Bol's revenues, and this was a particularly difficult market to grow outside of its native Netherlands, as global drinkers tended to prefer the British "dry" style of gin. A strategy of diversification through acquisition was adopted, and in 1977 Italian brands Cynar and Biancosarti, both aperitifs, were added, and in 1983 the company added its first non-alcoholic beverages with the acquisition of Terme di Crodo, makers of still and sparkling mineral waters, non-alcoholic bitters, and sodas, including Crodino, and various other fruit flavored beverages. (In a later divestiture, these brands became part of Campari Group). Through the 1980s, Bols continued to expand its range of non-alcoholic beverages with particular emphasis on the Italian and Swiss markets.
Already a leading producer of alcoholic beverages in its home country, Bols became the dominant producer of genever with its 1986 acquisition of Rotterdam based Henkes [ nl ]. In addition, this allowed Bols to vertically integrate itself, as Henkes had a network of retail liquor stores in the Netherlands. In 1988, Bols acquired Strothmann Brennereien GmbH & Co AG., instantly giving it the largest market share in the Korn Schnapps market, along with distribution channels and production facilities in Germany.
In 1989, Bols formed a joint venture with Gedistilleerd en Wijngroep Nederland (GWN), the wine and distilled beverages unit of Heineken, forming Bols Benelux B.V. The venture attained a near 50% market share in the Dutch liquor business, due in part to GWN's earlier acquisition of Bokma, another leading genever brand. The joint venture expanded into the rapidly growing wine segment, purchasing 85 percent of Consortium Vinicole de Bordeaux (CVBG), formerly part of Douwe Egberts. Other smaller French wine houses were quickly added to the portfolio. The company also boosted its operations in Italy in 1990, buying up Ottavio Riccadonna, adding that company's Spumante and Ricadonna brands.
Wessanen merger
By 1993, competition and consolidation in the industry had become cutthroat. Heineken decided to retrench to its beer business, and sold off its stake in the joint venture for 58.6 million guilders. Dutch foods giant Royal Wessanen and Bols saw a natural fit for horizontal integration, and a merger was completed into a new company: Bols Wessanen. From the beginning, integrating the two lines of business was difficult, and so led to profit pressures. The 1995 annual stockholders meeting was contentious [5] and the company decided to focus its growth efforts toward the food sector. In 1997, the company moved to a new headquarters and production facility in Zoetermeer.
By 1999, it was obvious that the partnership wasn't working. The Bols side of the business was being neglected, and management wanted to unlock its potential for growth and profitability. CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm, agreed, and a management buyout by the executive board (R.van Ogtrop, M. Emondts and T. Coenen ) was engineered forming Bols Royal Distilleries. Immediately thereafter, Bols acquired a number of brands from British drinks conglomerate Diageo. [6]
Acquired by Rémy Cointreau
Almost immediately after the buyout, it became clear that Bols did not have the scale to effectively compete in the rapidly consolidating drinks industry. CVC Capital had an existing relationship with Rémy Cointreau, so it seemed natural to combine the two companies. In August 2000 an agreement was reached, and Remy paid CVC €510 million for Bols, [7] which retained a 9% equity stake in the enlarged group. [8] The merger was perceived as greatly helping both companies, allowing Remy to diversify into products requiring no expensive aging stock, an Eastern European distribution network, and access to Bol's management skills, while giving Bols access to Remy's joint venture worldwide distribution alliance, Maxxium. [9]
The synergies of the combined company were immediately felt. Remy reported a string of strong earnings and profit growth, [10] [11] until a weakening dollar and a temporary drop in sales of Bols Vodka in Poland due to taxation and counterfeiting issues hurt 2003 results. Results in 2004 remained weak, but strong growth was noted of the vodka brand throughout Eastern Europe, and Maxxium committed considerable resources to modernizing the Bols image, including new packaging and refocusing on a youth driven market. [12] [13] Bols was awarded "Best Brand Re-Launch" by the trade publication Drinks International Magazine.
In 2005, Remy struck a complex deal with Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC), wherein CEDC took ownership of the Bols production facilities in Poland and licensed various trademarks for use in Poland and Russia in exchange for a 9% equity stake. [14] [15] [16] The deal gave each company access to the other's distribution networks. Remy also received a seat on CEDC's board of directors. CEDC would later buy Bol's Hungarian subsidiary and trademarks.
Management buyout
In 2005, Remy decided to focus on its premium brands, and on 8 December, it announced it would sell the Bols brand to concentrate on its core drinks. On 16 March 2006, Remy announced the sale of Bols to European investment fund ABN AMRO Capital (75%), together with a management group led by Mr. Huub van Doorne (25%). Mr. Van Doorne was a member of Rémy Cointreau's Management Board, and led the team that revitalized the Bols brand under Remy's ownership. Mezzanine capital was provided by GSC Group. [17] The new company is named Lucas Bols, B.V. and is headquartered in Amsterdam. Its assets include the production facilities in the Netherlands, along with the brands, Bols, Galliano, Vaccari Sambuca, Pisang Ambon and Damrak Gin, plus leading Dutch Origin spirit brands such as Bokma and Hartevelt genevers and Coebergh. [2] [18] Distribution will still be mostly done by Maxxium, although the United States will be handled by new partner William Grant & Son, USA., [3] a wholly owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons.
Gin is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.
Liquore Galliano L'Autentico, known more commonly as Galliano, is a brand of sweet herbal liqueur produced in Italy. It was created in 1896 by Tuscan distiller and brandy producer Arturo Vaccari and named after Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian officer of the Royal Italian Army of the First Italo-Ethiopian War.
Triple sec is an orange-flavoured liqueur that originated in France. It usually contains 20–40% alcohol by volume.
Grand Marnier is a French brand of liqueurs. The brand's best-known product is Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, an orange-flavored liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is made from a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar, containing 40% alcohol. It is commonly consumed "neat" as a cordial or a digestif, and can be used in mixed drinks and desserts. Popular examples of the latter include crêpes Suzette and crêpes au Grand Marnier.
Jenever, also known as Hollands, genever, genièvre, peket, or sometimes as Dutch gin, is the juniper-flavoured traditional liquor in the Netherlands, Belgium and adjoining areas in northern France and northwestern Germany. As an EU and UK Protected Designation of Origin the use of the term jenever and its soundalikes can only be used if the product is made according to the specifications in Belgium, the Netherlands, two northern French departments and two German federal states. Gin was developed in Britain after introduction of jenever to the island.
Crème de Noyaux is an almond-flavored crème liqueur, although it is actually made from apricot kernels or the kernels of peach or cherry pits, which provide an almond-like flavor. Both Bols and Hiram Walker produce artificially colored red versions of the liqueur while Noyau de Poissy from France is available in both clear (blanc) and barrel-aged amber (ambre) versions.
Advocaat or advocatenborrel is a traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage made from eggs, sugar, and brandy. The rich and creamy drink has a smooth, custard-like consistency. The typical alcohol content is generally between 14% and 20% ABV. Its contents may be a blend of egg yolks, aromatic spirits, sugar or honey, brandy, vanilla, and sometimes cream. Notable makers of advocaat include Warninks, Bols, Darna Ovo Liker, DeKuyper, and Verpoorten.
Curaçao is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the bitter orange laraha, a citrus fruit grown on the Dutch island of Curaçao.
A liqueur coffee is a caffeinated alcoholic drink that consists of a shot of liqueur, mixed with coffee. It is typically served in a liqueur glass, often accompanied with cream and sugar. Coffee liqueur beverages are served in different fashions and can be found throughout many countries. One of the most popular liqueur coffee beverage is commonly known as Irish coffee. Liqueur coffee beverages are largely classified as cocktails as well as digestifs which are aimed at aiding the digestive process typically after a meal.
Rémy Cointreau is a French, family-owned business group specialized in the production of alcoholic beverages. The group's products include cognac, triple sec (Cointreau), the Greek spirit Metaxa, rum, brandy (St-Rémy), gin and whisky. The group, whose origins date back to 1724, was formed in 1990 after the merger of Rémy Martin and Cointreau. Rémy Cointreau also owns the fragrance company Maison Psyché.
Passoã is a passion-fruit liqueur made in France, with passion fruit being the main ingredient. Invented in 1985, the brand was owned by Rémy Cointreau group. In December 2016 Passoã SAS was established as a result of a joint venture between Lucas Bols and Rémy Cointreau. The product was launched in 1986 in the European market and in 1994 worldwide, and has been a nationally best-selling liqueur in several national markets, including Puerto Rico, the Netherlands and Belgium.
DeKuyper Royal Distillers is a privately held Dutch company in the business of manufacturing and marketing distilled spirits and liqueurs.
The Edrington Group Limited, trading as Edrington, is a privately owned international spirits company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It produces single malts such as The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, Naked Malt, and The Famous Grouse blended Scotch whisky. The spirits portfolio also includes Noble Oak Bourbon of Independence, Kentucky, and Brugal, the leading golden rum in the Caribbean. It also owns shares in Wyoming Whiskey, an American whiskey made in Kirby, Wyoming, and No. 3 London Dry Gin.
Bols is a brand name used by Lucas Bols, a Dutch distiller of alcoholic beverages. The brand line currently consists of vodkas, gins, genevers and liqueurs. Bols has been extant since 1575, and claims to be the oldest distillery brand in the world. The brand is now distributed in 110 countries, and the liqueur line has over 30 different flavors. As the result of an earlier divestiture, in Eastern Europe the Bols brand is owned by Maspex.
Liviko is an Estonian distillery, Baltic distributor and one of the largest alcohol companies in the Baltics. Liviko was established in 1898. Liviko has its production and head office in Estonia along with distribution offices in Riga, Latvia, and Vilnius, Lithuania. Liviko exports its own products to 60 markets. The company's most well-known brands are Viru Valge vodka, Vana Tallinn liqueur, Crafter’s London Dry Gin and Crafter’s Aromatic Flower Gin. Liviko produces more than 70 alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. As of 2017, it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.
Dutch brandy is a distilled spirit made from either grain or molasses alcohol flavored with various essences and extracts produced in the Netherlands. It was formerly referred to as "Dutch cognac" until that name was legally restricted to grape brandy from the Cognac region of France. Dutch names included "Koetsiertje" or "Koetsierscognac" or "Hollandse Cognac". Its colour ranges from clear to dark brown, reflecting added caramel or artificial dye.
Tip van Bootz was an orange-flavoured and orange-coloured Dutch liqueur made by H. Bootz' Distilleerderij N.V. (Amsterdam).
