Whyte & Mackay denies sale to United Breweries

Scottish distillery Whyte & Mackay has played down rumours that the business is about to be snapped up by Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant Indian billionaire who already owns Kingfisher beer.

Speculation had been rife that United Breweries, Mallya's company, had been preparing a bid in the region of £460m for the famous whisky brand. It followed comments by property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz, a large shareholder in Whyte & Mackay, who confirmed that talks were taking place between the two companies.

But Whyte & Mackay managing director Bob Brannan this week insisted the business was in rude health, private label prices were rising and that it had not received a single formal bid for any part of the business. However, he did not rule out the possibility of a bid in the future.

By Daniel Thomas

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