The world’s third-largest drinks giant, Beam Suntory is holding preliminary discussions to buy into the Kishore Chhabria-controlled Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD) to aggressively push its iconic portfolio of bourbon, scotch, Irish and Japanese whiskies in India. ABD is the only top-three domestic liquor company that has Indian ownership.
Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Japanese food and beverage conglomerate Suntory Holdings, is seeking a strong local partner to gain ground in a market where global rivals Diageo and Pernod Ricard hold sway.
Beam Suntory was born out of the last big consolidation move in the global drinks industry when Suntory acquired US-based Beam for $16 billion in 2014.
Beam Suntory intends to strike a minority investment deal and a commercial partnership with ABD, giving the latter distribution of its portfolio and bottling rights for a few select brands.