Kirin Holdings is reportedly seeking buyers for Four Roses Bourbon.
According to The Financial Times, which cited people familiar with the matter, the Japanese group has been working with UBS to gauge interest from potential acquirers in recent weeks.
First-round offers are expected as early as next month, the FT said.
Approached by Just Drinks, a spokesperson for Kirin Holdings: “At this time, there is nothing we can confirm regarding the report, and we have no comment to offer.”
Kirin, which owns beer brands Kirin Ichiban and Voodoo Range, acquired Four Roses in 2002.
The Bourbon, which traces its history to 1888, is produced at a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
Sources cited by the FT said the brand generates roughly $70m in adjusted annual earnings and could command a price of up to $1bn.
In Japan, falling beer consumption has weighed on Kirin’s core business.
In the six months to 30 June, Kirin’s alcoholic beverages business reported consolidated revenue of Y492.62bn ($3.22bn), down 3.9% due to a decline in overall market sales volume. The division did book a 5.7% rise in "normalised" operating profit.
Kirin is a diversified conglomerate with more than $15bn in annual sales spanning beer, spirits and pharmaceuticals through its Kyowa Kirin unit.
Last month, the company announced the opening of a new office in Malaysia to support growth in South East Asia, where Kirin markets products including its Kirin Ichiban beer and focuses on beer, RTDs and whisky.
The company supplies the region from manufacturing bases in Japan and China, with key markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
