NAIC 31214

Distilleries

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

25companies1824–1979founding years24still active1no longer operating

§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory

FoundedThe Macallan Distillers Ltd.

1824

FoundedMartini & Rossi SpA

1847

FoundedLVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA

1854

FoundedBrown-Forman Corporation

1870

FoundedWilliam Grant & Sons Ltd.

1886

FoundedDr. August Oetker KG

1902

1903

TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.

FoundedKirin Brewery Company, Limited FoundedSuntory Ltd.

1907

1914

EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.

FoundedVin & Spirit AB

1917

FoundedEckes AG

1922

FoundedArcher-Daniels-Midland Company

1923

FoundedJim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc.

1933

FoundedCasa Cuervo, S.A. de C.V.

1934

1939

EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.

1945

EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.

1947

TechnologyThe transistor is invented.

FoundedAsahi Breweries, Ltd.

1949

FoundedMidwest Grain Products, Inc.

1957

1958

TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.

FoundedAllied Domecq PLC

1961

1962

EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.

FoundedConstellation Brands, Inc.

1972

FoundedPernod Ricard S.A.

1974

1975

TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.

1981

TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.

1984

TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.

1989

HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.

1991

TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.

1993

TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.

1995

TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.

1997

EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.

2004

TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.

2007

TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.

2010

TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.

2015

EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.

2020

EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.

2022

EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.

2023

TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.

§ 02

The companies

The Macallan Distillers Ltd. →

Active · founded 1824 · United Kingdom

The Macallan, made by The Macallan Distillers Ltd., is one of the world's top selling Scotch whiskey brands, typically…

Martini & Rossi SpA →

Active · founded 1847 · Italy

Martini & Rossi SpA has been producing its world-famous vermouth for nearly 150 years.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA →

Active · founded 1854 · France

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, created through a $4 billion merger in 1987, is the world's leading luxury goods…

Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. →

Active · founded 1860 · Italy

Long a single-product company, Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A.

Brown-Forman Corporation →

Active · founded 1870

Brown-Forman Corporation is a diversified producer, marketer, and exporter of alcoholic beverage and consumer products.

William Grant & Sons Ltd. →

Active · founded 1886 · United Kingdom

By the mid-1990s, however, Grant had been confronted with the rapid consolidation of the global drinks industry, which…

Dr. August Oetker KG →

Active · founded 1902 · Germany

Dr.

Fortune Brands, Inc. →

Active · founded 1904

Fortune Brands, Inc., is a widely diversified conglomerate with principal businesses in distilled spirits, home…

Kirin Brewery Company, Limited →

Active · founded 1907 · Japan

Longtime leader of the Japanese beer market, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited in the early 2000s was overtaken by its…

Suntory Ltd. →

Active · founded 1907 · Japan

Suntory Ltd.

San Miguel Corporation →

Active · founded 1913 · Philippines

Best known for its internationally distributed beer, San Miguel Corporation can only be described in superlatives.

Vin & Spirit AB →

Active · founded 1917 · Sweden

Government-owned Vin & Spirit AB (V & S) lost its monopoly on the production, wholesale, export, and import of…

Eckes AG →

Active · founded 1922 · Germany

German-based Eckes AG is Europe's top manufacturer of fruit juices and the fourth ranked maker of spirits.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company →

Active · founded 1923

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) is one of the world's leading processors and distributors of agricultural products…

Takara Holdings Inc. →

Active · founded 1925 · Japan

Takara Holdings Inc.

Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc. →

Active · founded 1933

Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc.

Casa Cuervo, S.A. de C.V. →

Active · founded 1934 · Mexico

Casa Cuervo, S.A.

Golden State Vintners, Inc. →

Active · founded 1934

Located in northern California, Golden State Vintners, Inc.

Asahi Breweries, Ltd. →

Active · founded 1949 · Japan

Asahi Breweries, Ltd.

Midwest Grain Products, Inc. →

Active · founded 1957

Based in Atchison, Kansas, Midwest Grain Products, Inc.

Allied Domecq PLC →

Defunct · founded 1961 · United Kingdom

Allied Domecq PLC is the second largest distiller of wine and spirits in the world, second only to industry leader…

Foster's Group Limited →

Active · founded 1962 · Australia

Foster's Group Limited, whose beer commercials once taught drinkers to speak Australian, has also developed a taste for…

Constellation Brands, Inc. →

Active · founded 1972

Constellation Brands, Inc., is the only alcoholic beverage company in the United States involved in all three…

Pernod Ricard S.A. →

Active · founded 1974 · France

Pernod Ricard S.A.

Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation (Lasuco) →

Active · founded 1979 · Vietnam

Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation, or Lasuco, is the leading sugar producer in Vietnam, and is also one of the…

Build It Today

Starting a distilleries company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.