Black Emerald Whiskey is opening new international markets with huge potential
Irish rugby star Simon Zebo is a co-founder of the rapidly expanding Black Emerald Irish Whiskey.
Ernest Cantillon is no stranger to the drinks business.
As the CCO and Founder of the Kinsale Spirit Co, home of the Battle of Kinsale whiskey series, its well-established range includes the Red Earl, the Great Earl single grain, the Spanish Earl single malt and the Wild Atlantic Irish whiskeys.
The company has been exporting its award-winning brands to Europe, China, the USA and the Gulf. At a time when Irish whiskey is conquering the world, Ernest and his partners are currently offering two new whiskey ventures — each of which they are sure will find a huge audience in certain international markets brimming with enormous promise.
Black Emerald Irish Whiskey is designed to bring a modern approach to whiskey, catering to both established and new consumers. The team behind it has an attractive pedigree, having been co-founded by Simon Zebo, the Ireland & Munster rugby player, alongside Ernest and Finian Sedgwick, who has worked at the highest level of the industry with Pernod Ricard in various markets across Asia and America. The company is targeting the fastest-growing international Irish whiskey markets, namely Nigeria and South Africa.
“Both countries have huge potential," Ernest explains. “South Africa is the fifth biggest market for Irish whiskey, and Nigeria just went into the top ten last year. These countries are no longer fringe markets, they are now places whose consumers know what they want. Nigeria is the fastest growing market for Irish whiskey, bar none, and joins South Africa in showing tremendous opportunity for a product like ours.”
In addition, Nigeria will be one of the most populous countries in the world by 2050, and with an emerging middle class.
“The culture and society of both Nigeria and South Africa have much in common with Ireland — they both love socialising around food, they are places very much into their music, and both are extremely friendly and informal. In fact, both countries don’t feel that different to Ireland in terms of business and socialising. It is a market already very receptive to Irish whiskey, and Black Emerald will be guaranteed a very warm welcome there.”
To download the Black Emerald Deck 2024, click here, or email info@blackemerald.ie.
The second venture, LYQD Cask Exchange, is a platform designed to make investing in whiskey safer and more transparent for potential stakeholders.
While there is currently no recognised secondary market for cask whiskey, the venture has already underlined its commercial prospects in being selected by Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-up Fund.
At a time when people are looking for secure investments for their money, whiskey represents an accessible asset valued across the globe.
“Whiskey is tangible and accessible, and people like investments they can relate to,” Ernest points out. “As investors' interests in alternative assets grow, whiskey is ripe for that.”
Whiskey is valued for two reasons — rarity and taste, both are enhanced with ageing in a cask. “But today, there is no recognised secondary market for cask whiskey. The LYQD Cask Exchange will change that. Backed by Enterprise Ireland's High Potential Start-up Fund and founder capital, LYQD is now open to private investors and business angels with the new, 50% EIIS rate.”
Irish investors may qualify for EIIS relief on investments into both Black Emerald and LYQD Cask Exchange. This ensures that investors would receive 50% of their investment back after 12 months in the form of a tax refund, while still maintaining 100% of their initial investment in the company.
“This effectively reduces your risk and financial outlay by 50%,” he explains. “For example, invest €25,000, receive a tax refund of €12,500. We would hope to achieve an exit price for the business in approximately 5 years of many times our initial investment, but conservatively 2 to 3 times initial investment,” he says.
The average investment so far has been in the region of €25,000. “While no investment is guaranteed, with EIIS it is at least a way for investors to get 50 per cent of their tax back, which is satisfying and de-risks their investment.”
For more information, visit https://eiis.lyqd.io or email eiis@lyqd.io.
