Beefeater is owned by Pernod Ricard (France, EPA: RI), which acquired the brand on 26 July 2005, as part of a £7.4 billion deal that also included Malibu, G.H. Mumm and Kahlúa.[1][2] Beefeater was founded in 1863 in London and was independent until 2005.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Beefeater is the largest gin still distilled within London, made to a recipe from 1863 by James Burrough, a pharmacist who bought a small distillery. The botanicals are steeped for 24 hours before distillation, and the brand takes its name from the Yeomen Warders of the Tower of London.
Pernod Ricard is a publicly listed company headquartered in Paris, France, founded in 1975. Brandtree records 11 brands under its control, and it is listed as EPA: RI.
Pernod Ricard was created in 1975 by the merger of two French anise-spirit rivals and grew by acquisition into the second-largest spirits group in the world, notably through the break-ups of Seagram in 2001 and Allied Domecq in 2005.
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 552 brands that began in the United Kingdom.
291 of them (53%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Beefeater among them.
Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Domecq for about £7.4 billion, bidding jointly with Fortune Brands, which took several of the brands to satisfy competition authorities. The purchase made Pernod Ricard the second largest spirits group in the world behind Diageo.
The parent company of Beefeater is Pernod Ricard, a publicly listed company headquartered in France.
Is Beefeater British or French?
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Beefeater originated in the United Kingdom in 1863, but it is owned today by Pernod Ricard, which is headquartered in France. So Beefeater is a British-origin brand under French ownership.
When did Pernod Ricard buy Beefeater?
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Pernod Ricard completed its acquisition of Beefeater on 26 July 2005, after announcing the deal on 21 April 2005. The deal, which also included Malibu, G.H. Mumm and Kahlúa, was valued at £7.4 billion (enterprise value).
Who owned Beefeater before Pernod Ricard?
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Beefeater was an independent company from its founding in 1863 in London until Pernod Ricard acquired it in 2005.
Is Beefeater still owned by Pernod Ricard?
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Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Beefeater is still owned by Pernod Ricard. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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