International Distillers & Vintners

International Distillers & Vintners was established in 1962 through the merger of W&A Gilbey with United Wine Traders. The former was a company of English origin, primarily involved with the gin trade but had Scotch whisky interests through their James Catto subsidiary and its Glen Spey, Knockando and Strathmill distilleries. It also had connections to the Irish whiskey market through its Redbreast brand, bottled using whiskey from John Jameson & Sons. United Wine Traders was established by the merger of London-based blender, Justerini & Brooks, with wine and spirit importer, Twiss & Browning & Hallowes.

The prize IDV asset was undoubtedly the J&B brand, and the merger opened up new opportunities in Gilbey’s international distribution markets as well access to its own malt distilleries for the first time. IDV assigned the license for Knockando to it, with which it has become synonymous, and in 1972 it opened a new distillery at Auchroisk.

In the same year, IDV was purchased by the brewing company, Watney Mann, which in turn was acquired just six months later by Grand Metropolitan, a hotel and catering conglomerate that was looking to make a play in the branded food and beverage trades. The new owner’s ambition was far-reaching and in the 1980s it took over US-based Heublein and its extensive spirits portfolio. In Scotland it launched new single malt brands for Glen Spey and Auchroisk (called The Singleton), and in Ireland it had introduced the hugely popular Baileys Irish Cream liqueur the previous decade.

Not all was plain sailing however, and the discontinuation of the famous Redbreast Irish whiskey label in 1985 became indicative of a company that was over-stretched, saddled with significant costs and debt from Grand Metropolitan’s fast-track transition from the service to goods economies. Its purchase of Heublein had provided it with the US-distribution rights to several Guinness properties, including the Bell’s and Black & White blends, as well as the eponymous Irish stout, and they two companies saw sense in a merger in 1997. The result was the amalgamation of their spirits divisions to create United Distillers & Vintners under the new parent company, Diageo.