Allied Domecq PLC was a multinational

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

, headquartered in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, United Kingdom, that operated spirits,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

, and

quick service restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...

businesses. It was once a

FTSE 100 Index The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, also called the FTSE 100 Index, FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the "Footsie" , is the United Kingdom's best-known stock market index of the 100 most highly capitalised blue chips listed on ...

constituent and the world's second-largest spirits group but has been acquired by

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

History

Allied Domecq was the result of a 1994 merger between Allied Lyons and Pedro Domecq S.A.Corporate History of Dunkin' Brands
from the Dunkin' Brands website Allied Lyons itself was the result of a 1978 merger between Allied Breweries and the food and

catering Catering is the business of providing food services at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio. History of catering The earliest account of major service ...

group J. Lyons and Co. In 1999 the 3,500 strong pub division was sold to Burton-based Punch Taverns for £3bn after a bidding war with

Whitbread Whitbread is a British multinational hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England. The business was founded as a brewery in 1742 by Samuel Whitbread in partnership with Godfrey and Thomas Shewell, with premises in L ...

. In early 2005, a takeover bid for the company was launched by French-based rival

S.A. Pernod Ricard successfully completed acquisition on 26 July 2005 and sold off the overlapping spirits brands to U.S.-based competitor Fortune Brands and British-based multinational

Diageo Diageo plc ( ) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits and operates from 132 sites around the world ...

. On 12 December 2005, Pernod Ricard announced that it had agreed to sell the restaurant businesses ( Dunkin' Brands) to a consortium of three US

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

firms (Thomas H. Lee Partners, the

Carlyle Group The Carlyle Group Inc. is an American multinational company with operations in private equity, alternative asset management and financial services. As of 2023, the company had $426 billion of assets under management. Carlyle specializes in ...

and Bain Capital LLP) for $2.43 billion. The closing of the sale occurred on 1 March 2006.Pernod Ricard sells Dunkin' Brands to Bain Capital
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Distilleries

Many malt distilleries were operated by Allied Domecq and former company Allied Lyons. Some are still open under new owners:

Brands

Allied Domecq's operated a combination of nine core global brands, plus a selection of local market leaders. * Scotch whisky: ** Single malt Scotch whisky: Balblair, Glenburgie, Glencadam, Laphroaig, Miltonduff, Scapa, Tormore ** Blended Scotch whisky: Ballantine's, Teacher's Highland Cream * American whiskey:

Maker's Mark Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Suntory Global Spirits. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and ...

, * Canadian whisky: Canadian Club * Spanish whisky: DYC whisky * Brandy & Cognac: Courvoisier, Centenario, Don Pedro, Fundador * Gin: Larios * Liqueurs & Bitters: Kahlúa, Kuemmerling, Tia Maria * Port: Cockburn's Port * Rum: Malibu * Sherry: Harvey's Bristol Cream * Tequilal: Sauza Tequila * Vodka:

Stolichnaya Stolichnaya () is a vodka made of wheat and rye grain. It originated in the Soviet Union in 1938. There are two versions of the vodka: the version found outside Russia is made in Latvia, while the version found inside Russia is made there. With ...

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

* Wine: Montana Wines, Clos du Bois * Champagne: G. H. Mumm, Perrier-Jouët

References

{{Authority control Pernod Ricard Alcoholic drink companies Defunct companies of England Drink companies of England Holding companies of the United Kingdom Defunct companies based in Bristol British companies established in 1994 Holding companies established in 1994 Food and drink companies established in 1994 Food and drink companies disestablished in 2005 1994 establishments in England 2005 disestablishments in England Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange