Shepherd and Wedderburn acts for Chivas Brothers

Shepherd and Wedderburn has represented long standing client Chivas Brothers, part of the Pernod Ricard Group, in agreeing the sale of the Glenallachie Distillery in Speyside for an undisclosed price to a consortium headed by former Benriach MD Billy Walker.

The deal includes the Glenallachie single malt brand and two other associated brands as well as significant holdings of maturing spirit, coupled with an ongoing spirit supply agreement. The Shepherd and Wedderburn team worked closely with the Chivas in-house legal team and with the Pernod Ricard M&A group in Paris in an auction process and subsequent bidder negotiations.

The deal is scheduled to complete in September once HMRC approval has been obtained to the transfer.

The Shepherd and Wedderburn team was led by Glasgow Corporate Partner and head of the Food & Drink Sector Group George Frier, with assistance from Katie Barr and a wide team of specialists across the firm – Joanna Boag-Thomson and Joe Fitzgibbon (IP/Trade marks), Neil Maclean and Elouisa Crichton (Employment), Amie Bain (Pensions), Patricia Hawthorn, Scott McCallum, Amy Stirling and Stephanie Mill (Environmental), Stephen Miller (Tax), Judith Stephenson and Caitlin McLean (Property), and Joanne McDowall (Competition).