(Bloomberg) -- The company behind Chivas Regal and Absolut vodka has a new offering in its stable: peanut butter-flavored whiskey. 

Pernod Ricard SA said Tuesday it’s buying a majority stake in American whiskey maker Skrewball as the French distiller looks to shore up its market position amid shifting tastes from US consumers. 

Shares in Pernod rose slightly in early trading. 

After increasing consumption during the pandemic, drinkers are preferring more novel tastes, particularly in the US, where tequila is expected to overtake vodka as the most popular choice.

Pernod produces Chivas Regal, and Absolut vodka and has been bolstering its portfolio with the acquisition of tequila and premium rum brands as well as launching an orange-flavored version of its popular Jameson Irish Whiskey last year.

Read More: Pernod Ups Investment in Bumbu Rum Maker Sovereign Brands

Skrewball, which was launched in 2018, sold more than half a million cases of its peanut butter-flavored whiskey last year, according to the company. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

On its website, Skrewball said that while peanut butter and whiskey may seem to be disparate ingredients together they create a “delicious” blend that is a “a little salty, a little sweet, a little savory and always smooth.” 

The company was founded by Steven Yeng, a refugee from Cambodia to the US, and his wife Brittany Yeng, a lawyer and chemist. The duo starting selling the drink as a cocktail in a restaurant in Ocean Beach, California before they developed a standalone spirit. 

The acquisition of a “super premium” American whiskey broadens Pernod’s exposure to category and provides a further growth engine for the US, said Edward Mundy, an equity analyst at Jefferies. 

(Updates with shares and additional information)

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