The News

Conor McGregor has settled his legal dispute with former training partner and fellow MMA fighter Artem Lobov over the ownership and profits of Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey, bringing to a close one of the more colourful courtroom dramas the spirits industry has witnessed in recent years. Lobov had claimed he was owed five per cent of the proceeds from the brand's blockbuster sale to Proximo Spirits, a deal reported to be worth approximately $600 million when it completed in 2021. The settlement terms remain confidential, but McGregor — true to form — could not resist firing a parting shot at his erstwhile friend on social media, describing the outcome as a victory and questioning Lobov's contribution to the brand's success. The case had been scheduled for a full jury trial in a Dublin court before both parties agreed to resolve the matter privately in April 2026.

Lobov's claim rested on the assertion that he had originally conceived the idea for a McGregor-branded Irish whiskey and had played a formative role in the brand's early development, including introductions to key figures in the Irish distilling trade. McGregor's legal team countered that Lobov's involvement was informal at best and that no binding agreement for a five per cent stake had ever been executed. The dispute had rumbled on since 2022, generating substantial media coverage and raising uncomfortable questions about verbal agreements, intellectual property, and the murky origins of celebrity spirits brands. With the settlement now confirmed, the legal chapter is closed — but its implications for the whiskey trade linger.

Trade Context

Proper No. Twelve launched in 2018 and became one of the fastest-selling Irish whiskey brands in history, shifting over six million bottles in its first year alone. The liquid itself — a blend of golden grain and single malt sourced from Ireland's oldest distillery, Bushmills — was never the primary selling point. McGregor's global celebrity and his relentless self-promotion drove the brand into bars and retail shelves across more than sixty markets. Proximo Spirits, the New Jersey-based company behind José Cuervo tequila, acquired the brand in stages, taking majority control in 2021 in a deal that valued the business at a reported $600 million. McGregor retained a minority stake and continued as the brand's public face.

  • Producer / Distillery: Proper No. Twelve (sourced from Old Bushmills Distillery, County Antrim)
  • Category: Blended Irish Whiskey
  • Market implication: The settlement removes a legal cloud over one of the Irish whiskey category's highest-profile brand acquisitions, but exposes the governance risks inherent in celebrity-driven spirits ventures

The Irish whiskey category has been one of the fastest-growing segments in global spirits over the past decade, with volumes rising from roughly five million nine-litre cases in 2010 to more than sixteen million cases by 2025. Much of that growth has been powered by new brand launches, many of them celebrity-backed or lifestyle-oriented. Proper No. Twelve sits alongside ventures such as the Pogues Irish Whiskey, Tullamore D.E.W.'s expanded range, and a growing cohort of craft distillers across Ireland. The category's expansion has attracted significant M&A activity, with Pernod Ricard, Brown-Forman, and Proximo all making substantial investments in Irish distilling capacity and brand portfolios over the past five years.

Why It Matters

For the whisky trade, the McGregor-Lobov dispute is a cautionary tale about the structural risks of celebrity spirits brands built on handshake agreements and personal relationships rather than rigorous corporate governance. When a brand's value proposition is inextricable from a single individual's fame, disputes over origin stories and founding contributions become existential threats. The fact that this case reached the brink of a jury trial — with the potential for deeply unflattering testimony about the brand's creation to enter the public record — should give pause to any investor or distributor evaluating celebrity-backed spirits propositions. Clean cap tables and documented agreements are not optional extras; they are foundational to brand value.

The settlement also raises questions about the long-term trajectory of Proper No. Twelve under Proximo's stewardship. McGregor's increasingly erratic public behaviour — including serious allegations unrelated to the whiskey business — has made him a progressively riskier brand ambassador. Proximo has quietly diversified the brand's marketing away from McGregor's personal image in recent quarters, investing in trade partnerships and on-premise activations that emphasise the liquid rather than the celebrity. Whether that pivot can sustain a brand built almost entirely on one man's notoriety remains an open question for the Irish whiskey trade.

For cask investors and independent bottlers watching the Irish whiskey space, the broader lesson is straightforward. Celebrity brands can accelerate category awareness and drive volume, but they introduce governance and reputational volatility that traditional distillery-led brands do not carry. As the Irish whiskey boom matures and competition intensifies, the brands that endure will be those with clean ownership structures, consistent liquid quality, and marketing strategies that can survive the inevitable fading of any single personality's star power. McGregor may have landed the last jibe in this particular bout, but the whiskey trade will be watching to see whether Proper No. Twelve can stand on its own two feet.