Diageo Beam

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I'm surprised nobody has picked up on this .. A bit of a shocker if it comes to pass.

http://www.independent.ie/business/euro ... 20115.html

I had previously heard a rumour that Beam bought Cooley as a bonus to bolster their price for a take over. Maybe not so much a rumour ...

So could it be that Bushmills and Cooley become brothers ... Is this Diageo looking to break links with Midleton and get a major foot hold in the States. Maybe that is why all has been so quite up north for so long.

The big question is, is this any good for Irish whiskey .... ???

[DavidH]

I'm surprised nobody has picked up on this ..

Dude, we were all over that on Twitter days ago

To be fair to the Sunday Business Post, they reported this earlier in the year. For some reason, the Daily Telegraph has only caught up now.

In my opinion, if Diageo buys Beam, they will cut Cooley loose, possibly to Suntory. Mostly because they have Bushmills and nothing indicates a particular love for the category, just a desire to have it covered with volume, which they do.

I'd hope the competition authorities would weigh in as well. The category has been more concentrated in the recent past but it would be a shame to let it slide back that direction.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

I really hope this doesn't happen. I believe it would be disastrous for Cooley.
Diageo already have to much influence in the Irish drinks industry. They have done nothing with Bushmills in my opinion. They've pumped millions into their Scottish distilleries.

I think themselves and Heineken have managed to destroy the beer industry here. I can site numerous examples. They really grind my gears.

I've worked on the pub trade for all my life and seen it just turn into a group of distribution outlets for the two brewery's. we may as well be working in a mc Donald's franchise.

I really commend the pubs that are trying to buck the trend like Mulligans.

[Fionnán]

http://www.independent.ie/business/euro ... 20115.html

Hopefully not a modern DCL stroke to irish whiskey...

[DavidH]

I think it's a good idea to have a separate thread for this so I moved some comments from the general Whiskey in the News thread over here.

Looking forward to a Bushbeggan blend myself.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

I think it's a good idea to have a separate thread for this so I moved some comments from the general Whiskey in the News thread over here.

Looking forward to a Bushbeggan blend myself.

I can see this one getting plenty of interest David.

Judging on Diageo previous record of closing smaller breweries,( Phoenix, McArdle Moore & Smitwickes in Kilkenny) and just having one large one, I don't see your BushBeggen blend happening.

My fear is that the people in Kilbeggan will be looking at P45's in the near future. They wont even get redundancy because they would only be working for Beam for a year. I really hope I'm overreacting here.

[DavidH]

...I don't see your BushBeggen blend happening.

Well, no, it was just a facetious remark. I don't see Diageo keeping Cooley.

Diageo is not the only game in town, of course. Pernod Ricard has a bourbon-shaped hole in its portfolio too. It must have digested Absolut by now... time for another acquisition?

I don't really see Pernod wanting to hold onto Cooley either. They have their one global brand in Irish whiskey (Jameson) and if they want to fill marketing niches in other countries they can push Paddy or Powers.

[Pudge72]

For my 1/2 cent, it doesn't seem like Diageo getting bigger through acquisition/merger is good for ANY part of the whisk(e)y industry...Irish, Scottish, American or whoever else...

(Curses to self for liking Talisker, Lagavulin, and Dickel so much...)

[Joel1802]

For my 1/2 cent, it doesn't seem like Diageo getting bigger through acquisition/merger is good for ANY part of the whisk(e)y industry...Irish, Scottish, American or whoever else...

(Curses to self for liking Talisker, Lagavulin, and Dickel so much...)

That's the problem. They make very good booze.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I'm surprised nobody has picked up on this ..

Dude, we were all over that on Twitter days ago

Twitter Smitter ... sorry can't abide it, closed my account after a couple weeks.