Blue Sky Drinks Co has appointed Paul Slaughter as chief executive as the Australian spirits group moves from post-acquisition integration into a broader push for retail growth and new product launches.
Slaughter takes control less than a year after Blue Sky combined Gravity Drinks with assets acquired from the collapsed Top Shelf International. The October 2025 transaction brought NED Australian Whisky, Grainshaker Vodka and the former Act of Treason agave business into the independent drinks group.
The company has since cut A$10 million from its cost base and increased active customer outlets by 50%, chairman and founder Mick Spencer said. Blue Sky now employs about 30 people and operates a portfolio spanning more than 15 products.
Slaughter has previously led Harvest Road Group and Mrs Mac’s and held senior roles across Australian food, beverage and consumer businesses. His appointment shifts day-to-day leadership to an executive with operating experience while Spencer returns his attention to new opportunities and partnerships.
For Blue Sky, the leadership change comes with a harder task: turning acquired brands and production assets into a scalable independent drinks business.
Sollos Gives Blue Sky a Farm-to-Bottle Agave Bet
The most distinctive asset in that strategy is agave.
Blue Sky has relaunched Act of Treason as Sollos, an Australian single-estate agave spirit grown and distilled in Queensland’s Whitsundays. Four expressions, including Blanco, Reposado and Añejo, are being prepared for release.
The company controls an estate containing roughly 580,000 Blue Weber agave plants. Its official Sollos website positions the range around a single-estate, Australian-origin identity rather than attempting to present the liquid as Mexican tequila.
That distinction matters. Tequila is protected by geographical indication rules and must originate from authorised regions of Mexico. Blue Sky is instead attempting to build commercial value around Australian terroir and control of its own agave supply.
A Sollos cellar door is scheduled to open in the Whitsundays in late August, extending the brand into farm tours, tastings and direct consumer experience. The model gives Blue Sky another route to build brand familiarity outside traditional bottle-shop distribution.
Blue Sky Still Has to Prove the Portfolio
The wider business is not relying on agave alone.
Gravity, its better-for-you RTD brand, has reported 100% year-on-year growth and recently appointed Australian cricketer Travis Head as an ambassador. NED Australian Whisky has expanded into Sodexo-operated mining sites, while Blue Sky is also launching Bickie, a flavoured whisky liqueur in 700ml and 50ml formats.
Drinkabl.media’s RTD coverage has tracked how flavour, convenience and wider retail distribution are reshaping growth in ready-to-drink alcohol. Its spirits reporting has also documented the inventory pressure facing larger premium alcohol producers.
Blue Sky is approaching the market from the opposite end of the scale. It has a smaller team, an expanding outlet base and a portfolio assembled through acquisition.
Slaughter’s first test is therefore execution. The A$10 million cost reduction has cleaned up the operating base, but Blue Sky must now convert its brands, agave estate and wider distribution footprint into sustained sales growth. Sollos will be one of the clearest measures of whether the strategy works.
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