The privately-owned Scotch whisky group, Edrington, has sold its Islay distillery, Bunnahabhain, and the blended whisky brand, Black Bottle, to Burn Stewart, the Scotch whisky subsidiary of the Trinidad-based rum and bitters group, CL Financial.

The deal, which follows CL Financial’s £50m acquisition of Burn Stewart in January, is thought to be worth in the region of £10m.

“There has been a noticeable increase in consumer demand for the malts in the Islay category and the highly individual Bunnahabhain is a terrific addition to our range,” said Ian Bankier, CEO of CL World Brands. “Bunnahabhain brings some of the tradition of Islay to our portfolio and allows us to make a credible and comprehensive offering to the consumer and the trade.” Bankier said the company was looking to build sales of Black Bottle in Scotland.

Edrington said it was looking to focus on its primary brands: the blends, The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark, and the single malts, The Macallan and Highland Park. “The disposals are in line with the group’s strategy of concentrating our investment resource behind developing our core brands,” said the company’s chairman and CEO, Ian Good.