Retailers drop Proper No Twelve following rape case

Conor McGregor’s Proper No Twelve Whiskey has been dropped by several Irish retailers after he was found liable for sexual assault.

Retail outlets SuperValu, Centra, Costcutter and Carry Out across Ireland are to cease selling alcohol products linked to mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, following a High Court case in which a jury awarded €248,603 (US$261,023) in damages to a woman after finding she had been assaulted by McGregor in a Dublin hotel.

Nikita Hand had alleged in her civil action for damages that she was raped by the mixed martial arts fighter in the Beacon Hotel on 9 December 2018. McGregor denied the allegation.

McGregor founded the Irish whiskey brand Proper No Twelve with his manager and business partner Audie Attar, and spirits industry entrepreneur Ken Austin, in September 2018.

In 2021, the brand was sold to Jose Cuervo owner Becle in a deal worth up to US$600 million, but McGregor retained ‘an interest’ in Proper No Twelve and remained the company’s spokesperson.

However, following the verdict, a spokesperson for Proximo Spirits, a subsidiary of Becle, told The Spirits Business: “Since 2021, Proximo Spirits has been the 100% owner of Proper No Twelve Irish Whiskey. Going forward, we do not plan to use Mr McGregor’s name and likeness in the marketing of the brand.”

McGregor also owns Irish stout brand Forged.

On Sunday (23 November), the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) urged retailers to stop selling McGregor’s stout and whiskey products in the aftermath of the jury’s decision in the High Court.

Clíona Saidléar, RCNI executive director, said companies making money from his alcohol and other products need to look at whether they want to align themselves with a man found by a civil jury to have sexually assaulted a woman.

Since then, Musgraves, which operates the SuperValu chain, said it “could confirm these products are no longer available to our store network”.

In addition, Centra stores, which also form part of the Musgraves network of stores, will also no longer sell products linked to McGregor.

The Barry Group, one of Ireland’s leading retail food and alcohol wholesale providers, which operates the Costcutter and Carry Out off-licence outlets, told The Irish Times on Tuesday (26 November) that it had “made the decision to remove Proper Twelve from circulation to our network. This action reflects our commitment to maintaining a retail environment that resonates with the values of our customers and partners.”