New wines and spirits distributor Select Brands announced Friday that it has acquired 1876 Wines, a membership-based wine club that sources fine wines from around the world.

“We could not be happier to include the 1876 Wines portfolio under our umbrella as well as the expertise of (founders) Paul (Hanworth) and Adrian (Garforth),” said Andrew Desnoes, managing director of Select Brands.

“Paul and Adrian have spent a number of years building a first-class portfolio and club which complements our existing offering perfectly,” Desnoes said.

The acquisition comes just eight months after Select Brands began operations. Select Brands is the brainchild of Desnoes and David McConnell, both formerly of Lascelles deMercado, the parent of spirits giant J Wray & Nephew.

Select Brands has employed an aggressive growth strategy and will add several new wines and spirits brands to its portfolio next month, the company said. Its portfolio of wines already includes Bolla Italian, Robert Mondavi from California, Catena Malbec of Argentina and Santa Margherita Wines of Italy. On the spirits side, the company is the exclusive dealer for Stolichnaya Vodka and Glenfiddich single malt Scotch.

Hanworth and Garforth founded 1876 Wines in 2004 as Jamaica’s only membership-based wine club.

England-born Hanworth worked in the wine and spirits business for 10 years before moving to Jamaica, while Garforth is one of only 260 Masters of Wine in the world. Their objectives were to grow the wine market by sourcing fine wines from around the world and to change the wine culture in Jamaica through education and a focus on high quality premier wine producers.

This venture has been a great success with a loyal membership base and a number of high quality restaurants and hotels amongst their clientele, the company said.

“The Wine market in Jamaica has grown considerably in the last 10 years. It is our wish to see 1876 Wines grow to its full potential, continuing to offer our discerning clientele an unrivalled selection of wine and the luxuries and benefits enjoyed by being a Club member as it evolves to the next level,” said Hanworth, adding “Select Brands has both the wine expertise and a shared vision for where the Club will go next.”

Hanworth said trade customers will continue to enjoy access to the company’s exclusive portfolio of wines.

Added Desnoes: “The 1876 Wine Club will continue with some evolutionary changes and added offerings and we are expecting great things from this as we continue to work with Paul and Adrian to develop our shared vision of growing the Wine sector and the appreciation of wine in Jamaica.”