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Bottles of Jim Beam bourbon sit on a shelf in a liquor store in Deerfield, Illinois, U.S., on Nov. 1, 2010. (Tim Boyle/Bloomberg)
Fortune Brands Inc. plans to pour money into marketing its liquor brands like Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark as it prepares to become a standalone spirits company.
A top executive also says it will keep an eye out for potential acquisitions. Get the full story »
For 35 years, Bill Samuels Jr. oversaw Maker’s Mark bourbon as it matured from a regional novelty started by his parents to an international brand recognizable by its red wax seal.
Now he’s planning to step aside for the next generation of his family to lead the rural Kentucky distillery, known for its distinctive square bottles that are sealed with red wax. Samuels, 70, will retire as president of Maker’s Mark on April 15, when he’ll become chairman emeritus of the brand owned by Fortune Brands Inc., the company announced. Get the full story »
Fortune Brands headquarters. (AP)
Fortune brands, the Deerfield-based purveyor of golf balls, Sauza tequila and Moen faucets, announced it intends to split the company into as many as three parts.
Under a plan approved by Fortune’s board, the company expects to spin off its home and security business to shareholders, sell or spin off its golf business and become a publicly-traded spirits company. Get the full story »
(Chicago Tribune Photo)
Associated Press | The dripping red wax seal on a bottle of Maker’s Mark is not only
distinctive, it’s now exclusive legal property of the bourbon company.
A
federal judge on Friday issued an injunction preventing a rival liquor
company from using a dripping wax seal on its tequilas sold in the
United States, ending a seven year legal battle over the bottle topper. The
ruling by U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II comes in a
long-running lawsuit between Maker’s Mark and competitors Diageo North
America and Casa Cuervo over the Fortune Brands trademark on the wax
seal.
Deerfield, Ill.-based Fortune Brands owns Maker’s Mark.
