Heisenberg, Pinkman… These legendary e-liquids now belong to a tobacco company

Behind Heisenberg and Pinkman, there is now a tobacco company. Japan Tobacco International has discreetly taken control of Flavour Warehouse, confirming the growing appetite of tobacco majors for independent vape brands.

JTI acquires an independent e-liquid leader

Screenshot of the Flavour Warehouse website

The information had gone unnoticed due to limited media coverage. You surely know Heisenberg or Pinkman, these legendary e-liquids that all vapers in the world have tried at least once. The result of the work of the mixologists of the English brand, Vampire Vape, they now belong to the tobacco company Japan Tobacco International (JTI).

Since May 1, 2025, the tobacco giant has owned a majority stake (between 50 and 75%) in Flavour Warehouse, which is behind Vampire Vape. This investment also gives it a stake in many other brands. With Flavour Warehouse, Japan Tobacco has thus joined Vampire Vape, but also Double Drip, Vapouriz, Vape Spot, Pocket Fuel, Pure Mist, Bloom, FRUKT Cyder, SQZD, and ORYX.

The AVOMI hardware brand also partly belongs to it now, as does the physical store chain Vapestore in the United Kingdom, and the online sales sites Trulo Vape Distribution in Germany and Total Vapour in Ireland.

"The main objective of this investment is to increase our exposure to a growing vaping category. Flavour Warehouse has a strong market position, an excellent reputation, and is known for the quality of its products," explains a spokesperson for the tobacco company.

Flavour Warehouse was founded in the early 2010s in the United Kingdom and now employs more than 100 people. In addition to its own brands, it also states that it manufactures white-label e-liquids for "many major brands in the sector." The company is now present in more than 80 countries through a franchise network, as well as numerous distributors and resellers.

With this acquisition, Japan Tobacco International secures a prime position in the vaping sector, after the acquisition of Logic e-cigarettes in 2015. It has been active in the heated tobacco sector since 2011 with its Ploom brand.

This acquisition also illustrates the growing pressure on independent vape manufacturers caught between increasing regulatory pressure and the appetite of tobacco majors.