Corby Spirit and Wine

History

Henry Corby sold his bakery in 1837 and began buying grain before opening a distillery in Corbyville, Ontario, near Belleville. In 1905 the business was sold to Mortimer Davis as H. Corby Distillery Company Limited. It was sold again in 1918 to Canadian Industrial Alcohol Company Limited, merging with JP Wiser's Distillery Limited of Prescott, Ontario, J.M. Douglas and Company Limited, and Robert Macnish and Co. Limited of Scotland. Gooderham and Worts acquired a 51% share in 1935.

The company won the right to produce United Rum Merchants of London's Lamb's Rum in Canada in 1952 and bought a stake in Tia Maria in 1954. The name changed to Corby Distilleries Limited – Les Distilleries Corby Limitée in 1969. Meagher's Distillery Limited of Montreal and its subsidiary, The William Mara Company of Toronto, were purchased in 1978. Corby's parent company was purchased by Allied Lyons PLC in 1985.

In 1988 Corby divested itself of Robert MacNish Scotch Company, purchased McGuinness Distilling Co. Ltd from Heublein, and the spirits division of Nabisco. The distillery in Corbyville, Ontario closed in 1989. Corby bought Upper Canada Brewing Company in 1991 and resold it in 1995. Pernod Ricard of France purchased Corby's parent company in 2005.

In 2006 Corby sold its stake in Tia Maria to Pernod Ricard and purchased international rights to Lamb's Rum. Seventeen non-core brands and the Montreal bottling and production facility were sold to Sazerac in 2011. The company changed its name to Corby Spirit and Wine Limited in 2013. In 2016 Corby acquired the spirits assets of Domaines Pinnacle Inc., operating as a new subsidiary, Ungava Spirits Co. Ltd.

Canadian brands

Corby owns or represents many of the 25 top-selling brands in Canada and is expanding sales to the US, Europe and other international markets such as Australia. Its portfolio includes J.P. Wiser's Whisky, Lamb's rum, Polar Ice vodka, McGuinness liqueurs, and brands such as Pike Creek Canadian Whisky, Lot 40 Canadian Whisky, Hiram Walker's Special Old, Royal Reserve, Cabot Trail, Ungava Premium Gin, The Foreign Affair Winery, and Chic Choc. Corby also represents international brands including ABSOLUT vodka, Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet, Ballantine's, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Beefeater Gin, Malibu rum, Kahlúa, Mumm Champagne, and several wines.