Herbert Smith Freehills has advised the United Spirits Group (USL) in relation to its £430 million sale of Whyte & Mackay Group Limited (Whyte & Mackay) to Emperador UK Limited, a subsidiary of Emperador Inc., the leading Philippines based integrated manufacturer and distributor of brandy and other alcoholic beverages. The deal was signed and announced on 9 May 2014.

United Spirits' announcement can be found here. http://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachLive/United_Spirits_L…

Whyte & Mackay was acquired by the USL group in May 2007.  Whyte & Mackay's products include single malt and blended Scotch whiskies, liqueurs and vodka and its brands include the Whyte & Mackay brands, The Dalmore, Jura, and Tamnavulin, amongst others.

The sale, which is subject to necessary Indian and UK regulatory approvals and shareholder approvals, follows a successful auction process, set against the background of UK competition law concerns following Diageo plc's acquisition of a substantial shareholding in USL, for which Herbert Smith Freehills also advised United Spirits, details here.

The Herbert Smith Freehills team was led by Corporate partners Nimi Patel, Roddy Martin, David Paterson, supported by Richard Woods, Sophie Tobin and Emma Stones (Corporate), André Pretorius and Suzy Campbell (Competition), Heather Gething and Michael Hunt (Tax) with Laura Deacon (IP), John Buttanshaw (Environment), Christine Young and Jenny Andrews (Employment), and Roderick Morton and Simon Evans (Pensions).

Emperador UK Limited was advised by A&O, led by Christopher Moore in Singapore.