Whyte & Mackay confirmed the departure of John Beard to just-drinks today

Whyte & Mackay's CEO has left the company, just-drinks can exclusively reveal. 

John Beard has “left the business”, a spokesperson for the Scotch whisky producer confirmed earlier today (8 August). The company declined to comment further on the matter, and no-one was available at Whyte & Mackay when contacted by just-drinks this morning.

Beard joined Whyte & Mackay in early-2009. He had previously been CEO of Bacardi and Brown-Forman's sales and marketing JV in the UK, from late-2005 to July 2008.

Beard leaves Whyte & Mackay as he joined it; with the company's ownership in some confusion. In March 2009, reports suggested that Whyte & Mackay's parent company, The UB Group's United Spirits (USL), was considering selling off the division in its entirety.

While no such divestment came to fruition, since Diageo's purchase of a major stake in USL earlier this year, the UK's Office of Fair Trading has begun an investigation into what effect the transaction could have on the UK spirits market.