Diageo completes sale of Whyte & Mackay

Emperador has completed its purchase of Diageo’s Whyte & Mackay whisky business for £430 million ($726m).

Emperador, a Philippines-based drinks manufacturer, announced its intention to purchase Whyte & Mackay, along with the Jura, The Dalmore, Fettercrane and Tamnavulin distilleries, for £430m in May – a deal that was completed on Friday.

Whyte & Mackay was put up for sale by United Spirits in February after the British Office of Fair Trading (OFT) raised concerns about Diageo’s acquisition of a controlling stake in United Spirits in November last year, citing competition concerns.

Emperador chairman Andrew Tan said he is now looking forward to “developing a Scotch whisky drinking culture in the Philippines”.

He said: “We are going to officially launch and sell the existing Whyte & Mackay products, especially The Dalmore, Jura and Whyte & Mackay in the Philippines soon.”

Emperador, part of Alliance Global Group, is known for its Emperador Brandy label which tripled its growth since 2010 and is now the third largest spirit label by volume worldwide (following Jinro soju and Ruang Khao Thai spirit), according to Impact Databank.

Following the announcement of its purchase in May, Tan described Whyte & Mackay as a “prized asset with excellent growth opportunity” with a global distribution network in over 50 countries that Emperador Brandy would now have access to.

As part of the takeover deal, Emperador will supply whisky to United Spirits for three years.