Whyte & Mackay

The story begins in 1882 on the bustling docks of Glasgow, where James Whyte and Charles Mackay founded a whisky merchant and bonded warehouse business. They launched their first blend, Whyte & Mackay Special, which found success in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking nations. Their playbook was straightforward: create a consistent and quality blended Scotch. For nearly a century, the company grew, and in 1960, a merger with Mackenzie Bros. brought The Dalmore distillery into its portfolio, marking its first foray into production. The company's ownership, however, would become a playbook of acquisitions. Starting in the 1970s, Whyte & Mackay passed through a series of corporate hands, including Lonrho and American Brands. A significant turning point came in 2007 when United Spirits, led by Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya, acquired the company for £595 million. This move aimed to leverage Whyte & Mackay's Scotch portfolio in the vast Indian market. This chapter was short-lived. When beverage giant Diageo took a controlling stake in United Spirits, UK regulators raised anti-trust concerns. This forced another major event: the sale of Whyte & Mackay. In 2014, the Philippine-based Alliance Global Group, through its liquor arm Emperador Inc., acquired the Scotch producer for £430 million. This acquisition provided Emperador, a major brandy producer, with a portfolio of iconic Scotch brands and a significant inventory of aged whisky, positioning it for a new phase of global expansion.