LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2014) — There is speculation in the distilled spirits industry that Bacardi may be looking to merge with or buy Brown-Forman Corp., parent of Woodford Reserve bourbon and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey.
The Lexington Herald-Leader, quoting the Sunday Telegraph of London, reported Monday that the CEO of Bacardi, Ed Shirley, said the company wants to expand its whiskey offerings. Shirley did not offer details about the company it would merge with or acquire, but the Sunday Telegraph report said that now that Jim Beam has been sold to Japan’s Suntory, Bacardi’s target would be Brown-Forman.
Brown-Forman spokesman Phil Lynch offered no comment on the speculation.
DailyFinance.com said last month that Jack Daniel’s makes Brown-Forman worth buying. The Tennessee whiskey was the top-selling whiskey in the U.S. in 2012; it also leads global sales with 10.7 million cases sold in 2012.
Other Brown-Forman brands include Southern Comfort, Early Times, Old Forrester, Canadian Mist and several others.
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