Overview
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery represented Destillers United Group S.L. (DUG), a Spanish company, together with certain of its affiliates including in the United States, Panama, Venezuela and Portugal, in the sale of its award-winning super premium Diplomático Rum brand and related assets to Brown-Forman Corporation, the publicly traded international spirits company best known for its Jack Daniels whiskey. The company announced its agreement to purchase the brand in October 2022, giving Brown‑Forman an entry into the growing super-premium+ rum category.
The transaction closed on January 5, 2023 following the completion of a Hart Scott waiting period and negotiations of all ancillary and transitional agreements to assure seamless continuity of the product’s market share.
As part of the acquisition, Brown‑Forman added an aging, bottling and shipping production facility located in Panama to the company. DUG will continue to produce and age the unique, carefully crafted and complex Diplomático Rum in their original distillery at the foot of the Andes mountains.
The McDermott multi-office, multi-disciplinary team was led by Todd Finger, Alva Mather, Mike Silva, Jeff Steiner and Bob Unger and included Graciany Miranda, Greg Weigand, Myia Williams, Christine Dower, Brian Long, Shawn Helms, Michelle Strowhiro, Ryan Smethurst, Alice Chung, Ty Carson, Adam Spiegel, Todd Solomon, Ted Diskant, David Levine, Sarah Bro, Nicole Castle, Jacob Hollinger, Sarah Walters, Sam Neel, Nicole Shustack, Cristell Fortune, Ethan Heller, Alexandra Williamson, Jeronimo Soares de Sousa, Matthieu Adam, Sabine Nauges, Nicolas Faguer, Avrile Guénot, Raminta Dereskeviciute and Karolien Van der Putten.
Read Brown-Forman’s press release here.
About McDermott
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