Ivan Menezes Talks New Bourbons and Acquisition Strategies

Dear Client:Lots of news out of Diageo's investor meeting yesterday. Industry experts have long pointed to Diageo as a potential buyer for Beam Inc., however, Diageo chief Ivan Menezes made a point to tell reporters they "don't need to" buy Beam. "Fundamentally our position in total North American whiskey is strong," he said. Bulleit, for example, grew net sales fivefold in the past three years. Ivan estimated that Bulleit would do 600,000 cases this year, but they can get to