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UB buys Whyte & Mackay
Whyte & Mackay has been acquired by Vijay Mallya’s UB Group for £595 million. Mallya will become the distiller’s new chairman and chief executive, while current head Vivian Imerman will become strategic advisor. Commenting on the sale, Mallya said, “United Spirits has created some of the world’s largest brands of drinks.
"Until today, the only missing link in our portfolio has been Scotch, and due to the shortages and rapidly increasing prices of Scotch whisky, we needed a reliable supply source to secure our future considering that we use Scotch in our Indian blend."
He went on to say, "Potential for premium Scotch whisky is enormous, and with the acquisition of Whyte & Mackay we now have a strong portfolio of internationally recognised brands that we will immediately introduce into the Indian market and use our strong distribution muscle fully to our advantage.
"In addition, we now have access to international distribution and can look forward to exporting our brands from India."
Imerman took full control of Whyte & Mackay in early 2005 after purchasing German Bank WestLB's 30% share. The distiller recorded sales of nine million cases in the last year, with United Spirits sales reaching 66 million cases.
© db 16 May 2007