The 1988 acquisition of Irish Distillers Ltd (IDL) by Pernod Ricard is the great drinks industry acquisition that almost never happened. As the story goes, the French company – then a fraction of the size of today’s colossus – originally only wanted a small slice of the Irish whiskey pie.
Pernod Ricard focused on whiskey, Tequila A&P to boost US performance
Finance chief Hélène de Tissot said the company was "under-exposed in the most exciting categories" in the US.
Fiona Holland September 05 2024








