Berentzen-Gruppe, the German distiller, has confirmed talks over a potential sale of the business to US spirits giant Sazerac.
In a stock-exchange filing yesterday (16 September), the Frankfurt-listed company said it was in negotiations over a “voluntary public takeover offer” for all its outstanding shares.
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Berentzen said it would “keep the capital markets and the public informed of developments in accordance with legal requirements”.
Asked to confirm that Sazerac is in talks to buy Berentzen and why the company is looking to buy the business, a spokesperson for the Buffalo Trace owner said: “We don’t comment on market speculation, potential transactions or specific acquisition opportunities.”
Based in Haselünne in north-west Germany, Berentzen owns brands including Puschkin vodka, Tres Países rum and its namesake fruit-based spirits.
In 2025, the company booked a 10.4% fall in revenue to €162.9m ($186.8m). EBIT dropped 19.8% to at €8.5m.
In the first half of this year, Berentzen posted an 11.1% decline in revenue to €71m amid pressure on spirits sales.
The company, which also markets soft drinks, said its spirits business had been hit by the end of a private-label contract it had to supply Bourbon.
CEO Oliver Schwegmann also cited “the ongoing weakness in the market and consumer spending in Germany”.
EBIT slumped 82.4% to €0.6m.
Berentzen marks the latest M&A target for Sazerac, which is also home to brands including Southern Comfort and Fireball.
In August, Sazerac signed a deal to acquire UK spirits business Au Vodka, a transaction completed this week.
However, in July, fellow US spirits group Brown-Forman said it had rejected a takeover proposal from Sazerac.
Brown-Forman’s board said it had received the “unsolicited” bid but decided it was “not actionable”.
Sazerac’s pursuit came after Brown-Forman and Pernod Ricard disclosed in March they had held talks on a possible deal to form a “partnership akin to a merger of equals”.
Those discussions ended in April without an agreement after the two companies failed to “reach mutually acceptable terms”.
