Whyte & Mackay is a company producing

alcoholic beverage An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...

s based in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. It is owned by Emperador Inc. (a subsidiary of the

Alliance Global Group Alliance Global Group, Inc., styled on its logo as AllianceGlobal and also known as Alliance Global, Inc. (AGI), is a large holding company with business activities spanning the food and beverage industry (including both production and restaurant ...

History

Charles Mackay (1850–1919) and James Whyte founded a company as whisky merchants and bonded warehousemen in Glasgow in 1882. W&M Special was their first

blended whisky A blended whiskey (or blended whisky) is the product of blending different types of whiskeys and sometimes also neutral grain spirits, colorings, and flavorings. It is generally the product of mixing one or more higher-quality straight or single ...

and it was successful in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and other English speaking countries. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the company focused on the home market and now sell more than 1 million cases a year. The brand was purchased by Hugh Fraser's SUITS group in 1971. SUITS was acquired by

Lonrho Lonrho is a London-based conglomerate that was established in 1998 as Lonrho Africa plc. It is engaged in multiple business sectors in Africa, mainly agribusiness, infrastructure, transport, hospitality and support services. History Lonrho ...

in 1981 and subsequently Whyte & Mackay was sold to

Brent Walker Brent Walker was a British company involved in property, gambling, distilled beverages and pubs. It was founded by George Walker, the brother of the boxer Billy Walker. In 1991, following the accumulation of debts which had been used to finance ...

in 1988 and then to

American Brands Fortune Brands was a holding company founded in 1969 as American Brands, renamed in 1997 and split apart in 2011. The corporate headquarters was in Deerfield, Illinois, in the United States. The company had diversified product lines. It announced ...

in 1990, which was renamed as Fortune Brands in 1997. In 2001 Fortune Brands sold Whyte & Mackay to its management for £208 million in a deal part-financed by brothers

Robert Tchenguiz Robert Tchenguiz (born 9 September 1960) is a British entrepreneur, property investor, activist shareholder and securities dealer. The younger brother of Vincent Tchenguiz, he undertook a series of corporate deals, focusing particularly on proper ...

and

Vincent Tchenguiz Vincent Tchenguiz (born 9 October 1956) is an Iranian-British entrepreneur born in Tehran. Robert Tchenguiz is his younger brother. Tchenguiz is known as a major donor to the Conservative Party (UK) and an investor in the controversial company ...

and brother-in-law Vivian Imerman and a £190 million loan from German investment bank

WestLB WestLB AG (derived from ''Westdeutsche Landesbank'', i.e. "Western German state Bank") was a European commercial bank based in Düsseldorf, Germany which was mainly owned by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Landesbanks are a group of pa ...

. Initially chairman then CEO, Imerman instituted an aggressive cost-cutting programmeES Magazine: The grapes of wrath" by Mark Hollingsworth
/ref> and bought out 60 shareholder employees before, in 2005, purchasing the remaining interests in the firm with the Tchenguiz brothers. In 2007, they sold the company to Indian-based

United Spirits Limited United Spirits Limited, abbreviated to USL, is an Indian alcoholic beverages company, and the world's second-largest spirits company by volume. It is a subsidiary of Diageo, and headquartered at UB Tower in Bangalore, Karnataka. USL exports i ...

for £595 million (then, USD 1.2 billion). In August 2013, key members of

(USL), a subsidiary of United Breweries that owned Whyte & Mackay, resigned from positions at Whyte & Mackay in the wake of the purchase of a controlling share of USL by

Diageo Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...

, including USL Chairman

Vijay Mallya Vijay Vittal Mallya (born 18 December 1955) is an Indian businessman, former politician and fugitive. He is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian Government to return him from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India. T ...

, Whyte & Mackay CEO John Beard, and director Ayani Nedungadi. Regulators in the UK are investigating whether to force United to divest itself of Whyte & Mackay due to anti-trust concerns over Diageo's dominant position in Scotch whisky production.Daily Briefs for 12 August 2013
''Shanken News Daily'', 12 August 2013.Vass, S.
Surprise as tycoon Mallya quits Whyte & Mackay board
''Herald Scotland'', 11 August 2013. On 16 September 2013, Whyte & Mackay appointed Bryan Donaghey as its new CEO. Donaghey formerly served as managing director of Diageo for Scotland and prior to Diageo held posts within the Scotch Whisky Association.Hopkins, Amy
Ex-Diageo Boss Appointed Whyte & Mackay CEO
''The Spirits Business'', 19 September 2013. Since 31 October 2014, Whyte & Mackay has been owned by

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

-based Emperador Inc. (a subsidiary of the

), after being sold by the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

-based

United Spirits Ltd United Spirits Limited, abbreviated to USL, is an Indian alcoholic beverages company, and the world's second-largest spirits company by volume. It is a subsidiary of Diageo, and headquartered at UB Tower in Bangalore, Karnataka. USL exports i ...

for £430m.

United States

In October 2011, Whyte & Mackay formed an import company in the U.S.—Whyte & Mackay Americas—to handle its portfolio in the U.S. market with products including the Jura, The Dalmore, Cluny, John Barr, Glen Salen, Whyte & Mackay and Mackinlay’s whisky brands, as well as Glayva Liqueur, Snow Leopard and Pinky vodkas in the U.S. The company appointed former Bacardi executive Jorge Gutierrez as president of Whyte & Mackay Americas.Whyte & Mackay Creates New Unit To Handle Portfolio In U.S.
''Shanken News Daily'', 3 October 2011.Wehring, Olly
UK/US: Whyte & Mackay calls time on Shaw-Ross International US import tie-up
''Just-Drinks'', 4 October 2011. In July 2013, Gutierrez left Whyte & Mackay Americas to become CEO of Voli Vodka.Daily Briefs for 24 July 2013
''Shanken News Daily'', 24 July 2013.Wilmore, James
US: Voli Vodka bags Whyte & Mackay exec as CEO
''Just-Drinks'', 6 August 2013.Gutierrez and Strader Lead New Voli Strategy
''The Beverage Journal'', 3 September 2013. In September 2013, Whyte & Mackay appointed alcoholic beverage specialist Park Street to provide importing, back-office and enterprise resource planning services for its Whyte & Mackay Americas unit.Daily Briefs for 10 September 2013
''Shanken News Daily'', 10 September 2013.Whyte & Mackay, part of Diageo-controlled United Spirits Ltd., making moves in the U.S.
''Park Street News'', 11 September 2013.Whyte & Mackay Selects Park Street
''MarketWatch'', 10 September 2013.

Products

The company sells Single Malt and Blended Scotch whiskies,

Liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

s, and

Vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuritie ...

s. Their brands include the W&M blends; Dalmore, Jura, and

Fettercairn Fettercairn (, gd, Fothair Chàrdain) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside. The name ...

single malts;

Glayva Glayva is a liqueur originally produced in 1947 in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland by Ronald Morrison & Co Ltd and now by Whyte and Mackay Ltd. Glayva is made from a blend of aged Scotch whiskies, a selected range of spices, Mediterranean tange ...

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

; and Vladivar Vodka. In August 2010, it was reported that Whyte & Mackay would replicate a supply of whisky discovered in Antarctica from a 1907 expedition of Antarctic explorer

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of ...

's supplies. The 11 bottles of whisky recovered were of the Mackinlay brand, and Whyte and Mackay now oversee those distilleries. On 14 October 2010, Whyte & Mackay sold two bottles of their 64-year-old Dalmore Trinitas malt whisky for £100,000 each. According to the master distiller, only three bottles of this whisky were ever made, and it cannot be made again.

Awards

* In 2006, Whyte & Mackay whisky was entered in the 2006 World Quality Awards, organized by

Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...

, and awarded a

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

Quality Award. * In 2009, 30-year-old Whyte & Mackay whisky was voted the best blended whisky in the world in two competitions. * In 2011, Whyte and Mackay whisky won International Wine & Spirits Competition Gold - Best in Class. * In 2012, White and Mackay whisky won San Francisco Spirits Competition 2012 Gold medal. * In 2013, 2014 and 2015 Whyte and Mackay whisky won Wine & Spirits Competition Gold medal. * In 2018 and 2020 White and Mackay whisky won International Spirits Challenge Gold Medal.

Former sports sponsorship

Whyte & Mackay were sponsors of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

football team

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

from 2003 to 2006. The brand also formerly sponsored

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

club Hibernian in the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...

, the

Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) are a franchise cricket team based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was founded in 2008 by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor b ...

in the

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

, the PDC

Premier League Darts Premier League Darts is a darts tournament which launched on 20 January 2005 on Sky Sports. Now played weekly from February to May, the event originally started as a fortnightly fixture in small venues around the United Kingdom. The tournament ori ...

and the

Force India Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 20 ...

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racing team.

As treasure

Bottles of Whyte & Mackay were recovered by underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence from the shipwreck of the

SS Regina SS ''Regina'' may refer to: * , in service 1884–1889 * , a ship that sank off Bradenton Beach, Florida, in 1940; wreck is a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve and listed on the National Register of Historic Places * , a ship that sank in ...

, which had been sunk in

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

in 1913. A

People magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

article that told of the recovery, had a picture of Spence on the bow of the salvage boat hoisting a full bottle of Whyte and Mackay.Briggs-Bunting, Jane, and Ned Geeslin, "Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Mumm!" ''People'', 16 November 1987, pp. 143-145
/ref>

References

External links

Whyte & Mackay official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whyte And Mackay Drink companies of Scotland Manufacturing companies based in Glasgow Scottish malt whisky British companies established in 1844 Food and drink companies established in 1844 Food and drink companies based in Glasgow Scottish brands 1844 establishments in Scotland Blended Scotch whisky United Spirits brands