If you thought former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion, Conor McGregor, was a huge pain in the ass for Dana White and the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, imagine how the folks at Jameson must feel.
“Notorious” managed to sell 200,000 cases of his Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey, which sounds like a lot, until you see that Jameson sold 7.3 million. So why would the world leader in nasty booze care about an insect like McGregor?
Because 200,000 cases sold equates to roughly $35-40 million earned.
This article states that Proper Twelve sold about 200,000 cases (12 750ml bottles) since launch.
That is roughly $35-$40 million worth of product if the wholesale price is $15-$18 per bottle. https://t.co/YStBFV2Zhz
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 25, 2019
For reasons that are too long and far too tedious to outline here, it should be noted that Activist hedge fund firm Elliott Management recently acquired a stake in French spirits company Pernod Ricard, the outfit behind both Jameson and Absolut vodka.
And they don’t want a guy like “Mystic Mac” spoiling the return on investment.
“Was there ever any doubt I’d turn Whiskey to a Billi? I turned ‘human cock fighting’ to 4.2,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “I’m gonna toast on this fine Thursday this amazing news. Sláinte to the only true Irish Whiskey we have left, Proper Whiskey! Irish owned forever.”
UFC President, Dana White, recently told the combat sports universe that he expected McGregor to become a billionaire on the back of Proper No. 12 and it’s certainly off to a record-setting start (despite spotty reviews).
Let’s just hope it can maintain that frenetic pace, something McGregor isn’t exactly known for, once things get heated down the stretch.