Whyte & Mackay Finally Finds A Buyer

By Richard Thomas

After months of negotiations, India’s United Spirits has finally found a buyer for Whyte & Mackay, the blended scotch company that also owns such high profile distilleries as Jura and Dalmore. In a £430 million ($726 million) deal, the whisky company will go to the Filipino company Emperador.

United Spirits put Whyte and Mackay up for sale in February, after it became a stumbling block in the much larger takeover of the Indian drinks company by international mega-giant Diageo. After the British Office of Fair Trading cited competition issues in November 2013, Diageo offered to sell Whyte and Mackay later that same month. The sale still requires approval from regulatory authorities in both Britain and India.

Emperador is already one of the world’s top brandy sellers, and acquiring Whyte & Mackay both gives it a foothold in what is the second-fastest growing spirits sector after brandy, but also access to the whisky company’s formidable international distribution network.