Gilbeys_of_Ireland

International Distillers & Vintners

International Distillers & Vintners

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International Distillers & Vintners was a brewing and wine and spirits distribution company, formed from the 1962 merger of W&A Gilbey and United Wine Traders.

Founders

W&A Gilbey was founded in 1857 as a gin distillery by Sir Walter Gilbey, but by 1962 had a diversified family share holding, chaired by former figure skater and politician, Ronald Gilbey.[1] He had resigned from London County Council in 1958,[2] to become chairman of W&A Gilbey, a post he held for eleven years. At the time of the merger, Gilbey's was the largest wine and spirits company in the United Kingdom.[1]

In 1972, the company was bought by Watney Mann, and became their consolidated wine and spirits division.[3] The group was taken over by Grand Metropolitan in 1972.[citation needed]

Merger

In 1997, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to create Diageo. In 1998 IDV was merged with United Distillers to create United Distillers & Vintners, forming the spirits division of Diageo plc.[4]

References

  1. [1]
    "Obituary: Mr Ronald Gilbey". The Times. 3 August 1977. p. 16.
  2. [2]
    Jackson, W Eric (1965). Achievement. A Short History of the London County Council. Longmans. p. 263.
  3. [3]
    "Who are the Gilbeys?". GilbeyGroup.com. 29 June 2011.
  4. [4]
    Competition Commission Report 1983 Archived 21 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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