Juan Gentile’s Distribution Spirits Company (DISC) continues to experience strong growth across the Americas, with the Caribbean remaining the core driver of its business and premium spirits portfolio leading the momentum.
“80% of our business is in the Caribbean, with all brands supplied from our FTZ warehouse in Miami. Our power brands, including The Macallan, Brugal, Buffalo Trace and Fireball, amongst others are performing very well across the region,” says Juan Gentile.
“We work with a select number of Brand Owners but manage broad portfolios that combine both high-end and entry-level products. At the beginning of this year, we added Carupano Rum and Beluga Vodka, strengthening our premium offering across Caribbean domestic markets and travel retail. More recently, we launched BuzzBallz, which is booming in the U.S.”
Gentile explains that DISC’s commercial strategy centers on following the “travel trail” of its core consumers.
“We are following consumers who already experience our brands in bars, restaurants and off-premise retail in the U.S., and ensuring they can access those same brands when traveling throughout the Caribbean,” he says.
“The objective is to bring premium experiences to travelers staying at high-end hotels and dining in top restaurants across the islands. Together with our local distribution partners and support from our brand owners, we organize tastings, pairing dinners and special events featuring our whisky, rum and bourbon portfolios.”
“We have been able to secure key allocated brands that are often difficult to find in the U.S. market. Through Macallan collectable bottles and Sazerac single barrel program, we can offer unique expressions that consumers truly appreciate,” says Gentile.
DISC is also seeing strong momentum with Aguardiente Amarillo de Manzanares from Industria Licorera de Caldas.
“Amarillo has become a true cultural phenomenon in Colombia and is currently the fastest-growing aguardiente in the country. The brand has successfully connected with younger consumers while modernizing and elevating the category,” Gentile explains.
“Aguardiente Amarillo is already well established in the U.S. and resonates strongly with Latino consumers, while also appealing to those looking for a lighter and easy-to-drink spirit. We have already launched the brand in Central America and Caribbean. In Travel Retail we are currently listed with Motta, DFP, Top Brands, Ueta, and also recently secured listings at Miami International Airport with Duty Free Americas.”
Within travel retail, DISC has continued expanding distribution for the Ian Macleod Distillers premium whisky portfolio.
“We have a strong domestic Caribbean business but continue to grow in duty free with our Ian Macleod’s Scotch whisky portfolio. Whisky remains one of our strongest categories, alongside rum. We added Ron Carúpano in January, a niche Venezuelan brand positioned firmly in the ultra-premium segment, with expressions aged 18 years and older.”
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Strong Partnership with Promo International
DISC’s partnership with 30 years of well-established distributor network company Promo International Inc. has become a key competitive advantage since DISC’s founding in 2021. Both companies share offices and warehouse facilities in Miami, enabling operational synergies and regional scale throughout Caribbean and Latin America.
The partnership is now entering a new phase of expansion, including additional warehouse capacity in Miami, enlargement of DISC’s FTZ operations, and the expansion of Promo’s Pringles business into airports across Latin America.
“Promo is the master franchise partner for Kellanova across the Caribbean. The company has now extended that partnership into duty free airport retail throughout Latin America, with Pringles as the leading brand,” says Gentile.
“My objective is to remain highly focused, working with a select number of strong brand owners while continuing to deepen penetration and distribution throughout the Caribbean and duty free channels. Our focus is premiumization and long-term brand building. We want to support our partners properly, and to do so we are increasing our resources and looking to hire additional team members. At the same time, the integration with our food division creates significant room for future growth.”
