The 50/50 venture will see the full distribution of both Lucas Bols and Edrington portfolios and strengthens the partnership which started in 2009 in the Netherlands.

The Maxxium management team will be complemented by area leaders for Belgium and Luxembourg which have been recruited recently and the HQ will be based in Brussels.

“We are very pleased to expand our successful long-term partnership with Edrington by establishing Maxxium BeLux together,” said Huub van Doorne, CEO Lucas Bols. “For Lucas Bols it represents an exciting opportunity to accelerate the growth of our portfolio of brands, particularly on leading cocktail brands like Bols Cocktails, Passoã and Pisang Ambon.”

Huw Pennell, Edrington regional managing director Europe, added: “Brussels is an important element of our European key city strategy for The Macallan and we are excited by the opportunities we see for the entire Edrington portfolio in Belgium.”

The Maxxium BeLux company will begin operations on 1 October 2021, initially with the Lucas Bols portfolio of brands which is in the final stages of being transferred from its current distributor Rémy Cointreau.

The Edrington portfolio will transition from its current distributor, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, to Maxxium BeLux in January 2022.