The 1988 acquisition of Irish Distillers Ltd (IDL) by Pernod Ricard is the great drinks industry acquisition that almost never happened. As the story goes, the French company – then a fraction of the size of today’s colossus – originally only wanted a small slice of the Irish whiskey pie.
Australia’s Top Shelf, Gravity Drinks combined to form Blue Sky Drinks Co.
The newly-formed Blue Sky has bought Top Shelf International from administration and snapped up RTD business Gravity.
Dean Best October 16 2025









