Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Campari) acquired Forty Creek Distillery Ltd., a leading independently owned spirits company in Canada, the producer of the award winning Forty Creek range of premium and fast growing Canadian whiskies. The purchase price for the transaction was $198.2 million. The acquired business includes the full portfolio of Forty Creek, including stocks, the distillery and manufacturing facilities and a Hospitality Center located in Grimsby, Ontario. The brand portfolio includes whisky, vodka, brandy, rum and liqueurs, with Forty Creek Whisky as its core brand. The transaction marks Campari’s first move into the growing and attractive Canadian whisky category with high-end premium products, further enhancing its premium portfolio and building its critical mass in key North American markets.
The Forty Creek acquisition was led for Campari America by Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, McMillan LLP and McDermott Will & Emery. The Cassels Brock team included: Shane Hardy, Gary Steinhart, Colin Ground, Jim Janetos, Nia Karabatsos and Jeff Mikelberg (M&A/corporate); Jonathan Freeman (real estate); Kristin Taylor (employment); Chris Hersh and Imran Ahmad (competition). The McMillan team included: Todd Miller, Carl Irvine and Andrew Stirling (tax); Michael Friedman and Mickey Yaksich (transfer pricing). The McDermott team included: Andrea Tempestini, Barry Quirke, Genevieve Tokic and Giuseppe Mazzarella (tax).
Forty Creek was represented by Markes Lawyers, with a team including Lyle Hepburn, Andrej Markes and Jill Rowe (M&A/corporate).