No comment - but do actions speak louder than words?

By: Olly Wehring - 27 July 2006 19:43

Regular just-drinks readers will have noticed us getting quite excited this week as speculation linking Pernod Ricard with a Tequila company refuses to go away.

The French giant is widely thought to be in the running - along with Bacardi and Brown-Forman - to buy Tequila Herradura in Mexico. Naturally - and rather tediously - all three companies, when contacted by just-drinks this week, have refused to comment on the rumours. Pernod’s spokesman said on Tuesday: “If it were true, we would not comment, if it were not true, we still would not comment.”

So, I’d been looking forward to today’s (27 July) Pernod press conference in London, which looked at the company’s full-year results - a bit of a dig, a little root around. And what did I get? This from managing director Pierre Pringuet: “Never deny, never confirm.” So, apologies, dear reader, but I tried my best.

I will let you in on one little nugget I picked up on, though.

Monsieur Pringuet, like the rest of France, is off on his summer holidays this coming weekend. And where is he going?

That’s right - Mexico.