Wine & Spirits

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Diageo plc, London, reported interim financial results for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2013. Following 2.2 percent growth in the first quarter, net sales grew 1.8 percent in the first half of the fiscal year, supported by 4.6 percent growth in North America, the company reports. Sales in emerging markets also were up 1.3 percent, but were negatively impacted by weakness in China and Nigeria, and sales in Western Europe were down 1 percent, continuing the improvement trend seen in the first quarter.

Edrington Distillers Ltd. added Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition Blended Scotch Whisky to its portfolio.

Diageo expanded its Smirnoff Sorbet Light vodka line with the addition of Pineapple Coconut.

Norwalk, Conn.-based Diageo purchased super-premium tequila brand Peligroso from California-based Peligroso Spirits Co. LLC. This announcement comes three weeks after the company announced a joint venture with rap artist and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs to acquire the luxury tequila brand DeLeón.

Silicon Valley Bank, a provider of commercial banking services to the innovation sector and the wine industry, released its “Annual State of the Wine Industry Report,” which forecasts growth of U.S. wine for 2014 but a decline in future years.

McGah Family Cellars introduced the two newest vintages of its estate wines: the 2011 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2012 1070 Green Sauvignon Blanc.

Restaurant Sciences LLC, a Newton, Mass.-based firm that tracks food and beverage sales throughout the North American foodservice industry, reported that single-malt Scotches grew 3.1 percent in U.S. dollar sales and 3.6 percent in case volume sales in the three months ending November 2013 versus the same three-month period in 2012.

Phillips Distilling Co. added UV Sriracha to its flavored vodka portfolio, marking the 20th flavor for the brand.

Osaka, Japan-based Suntory Holdings Ltd. and Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc. jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Suntory will acquire all outstanding shares of Beam for $83.50 a share. This translates to a total consideration of approximately $16 billion, including the assumption of Beam’s outstanding net debt. The transaction consideration represents a 25 percent premium to Beam’s closing price of $66.97 on Jan. 10, 2014; a 24 percent premium to the volume-weighted average share price during the last three months; and a multiple of more than 20 times Beam’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, 2013.

Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc.’s Sauza Tequila brand partnered with actor and pop music artist Justin Timberlake to launch Sauza 901 super-premium tequila. The new product builds off of Timberlake’s previously launched 901 Silver Tequila and incorporates the same spirit under the Sauza brand name. The co-branded partnership blends the creativity and personality of the 901 brand’s founder, Timberlake, with the quality and history of Sauza Tequila to craft a lifestyle spirits brand.