Beam Suntory and Edrington have recently formed global travel retail divisions. The companies say this development will allow both companies to better integrate their European operations into their global businesses.

Maxxium Travel Retail is the third largest spirits supplier in European travel retail. It is anticipated that each company will create an independent distribution business for the travel retail channel.

Beam Suntory has also announced that its legacy Suntory brands, including the Morrison Bowmore single malt scotch whiskies (Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and McClelland’s) and its range of Japanese whiskies, will join the Maxxium portfolio in the domestic markets of Spain, Russia and the UK, further strengthening Maxxium’s leading portfolio of premium spirit brands.

In a simultaneous move that signals the potential of this expanded portfolio, Beam Suntory’s Morrison Bowmore single malts and its Japanese whiskies will be distributed by Edrington in the Nordics.

Scott McCroskie, group commercial director for Edrington said: “With passenger numbers and spending forecast to increase by double digits, the travel retail sector presents an outstanding opportunity to grow our premium brands and we look forward to increasing the focus on our premium portfolio in this important channel.”

Albert Baladi, president of Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) for Beam Suntory said: “The newly expanded Beam Suntory premium ranges creates the right moment to focus on our own portfolio in the travel retail channel. We look forward to driving outperformance in this channel and across Maxxium’s joint venture markets.”