Skrewball, a San Diego-based brand known for its peanut butter whiskey, is now part of Pernod Ricard, the world’s second-largest producer of wines and spirits.
Pernod Ricard announced Tuesday that it has acquired a majority stake in Skrewball, which joins the company’s lineup of well-known brands that include Jameson Irish Whiskey and Absolut vodka. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
San Diegans Steven and Brittany Yeng created Skrewball in 2018 and self-funded the business. At the time, Steven Yeng said people laughed at their “screwball” idea and few people believed in their off-the-wall concoction.
“We’re a little whiskey compared to everything, right in Ocean Beach, of all places,” Steven Yeng said in an interview with the Union-Tribune on Friday. “We really had to focus on us and really believe that (Pernod Ricard) could take us to the next level. And that’s something that we would never thought in a million years that would happen.”
Yeng said that since launching, the business has had steady growth, and last year they sold more than half-million 9-liter cases of Skrewball.
Flavored whiskey, like Skrewball, is not as unusual as it was a few years ago. Last year, Pernod Ricard launched a Jameson orange-flavored whiskey.
“Skrewball has proven its uniqueness and success with a large audience, so we are delighted to have this brand as part of our portfolio,” said Ann Mukherjee, chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard North America. “With a product that brings an iconic American flavor to the spirits world, Steven and Brittany have found a true point of difference in the category. We are looking forward to unlocking the magic of this brand and a successful journey ahead.”
Steven Yeng said the deal will expose Skrewball to a global audience — it’s currently available in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean — but it also benefits his family life.
Skrewball is run by a small team of 15 employees and Yeng said he’d typically be traveling for work two-thirds of the year. Now, he’ll be able to take more time to be with his young children.
For Yeng, this deal with Pernod Ricard also comes full circle with how this mega-sized maker of alcohol has influenced his life story.
Almost five years ago, when he experimented with mixing peanut butter and whiskey at his restaurant, OB Noodle House, Yeng used Jameson as the base. His wife, Brittany, who was a lawyer and chemist, used her skills to help deliver what is now poured as a distinct, smooth and nutty-flavored liquor.
But before Steven Yeng was a successful entrepreneur in San Diego, his family immigrated as refugees from Cambodia. During that time, his father built a career as a butcher where his specialty was sausages made with Ricard, an anise and licorice-flavored liqueur.
As his family endured years of hardship in a refugee camp, Yeng said they got a U.S. sponsor who sent them food, including bread and peanut butter. He fell in love with the all-American flavor of peanut butter, which eventually inspired him to create Skrewball.
“We believe like, things happen for a reason,” he said. “You might not know why it happened, but eventually you’ll find out why, so we’re thankful for this partnership.”
