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Whiskey of the Russian spill Rowson`s Reserve (“Rawson Reserve”) in the price list of the Saransk distillery and St. Petersburg “Ladoga” was designated as “whiskey drink”. Now production is suspended, and the British company Diageo (Diaggio) is looking for a new companion. The drink is based on a three-year-old Irish whiskey from the Guinness distillery, there is no list of all the ingredients on the websites of the enterprises.
Brand history. For the first time, the name Rowson`s Reserve was used by Diageo in 2011, when it launched a drink made from a mixture of Scotch whiskey and Indian grain spirits. But then the British changed the concept, both compositionally and geographically. In 2013, a recipe was created for the Russian market, based on Irish whiskey, which was delivered in large containers convenient for transportation, and bottled at local enterprises.
Since July 2014, the Ladoga plant in St. Petersburg has become such an enterprise, where Diageo’s Smirnoff vodka and Shark Tooth rum have already been bottled. By the time the sublicense agreement was concluded, Ladoga, with a production volume of 2,2 million decaliters, was one of the ten largest Russian alcohol producers. The contract was concluded for 3 years, but in February 2015, Ladoga went bankrupt, and Diageo began to look for a new partner, which was the Saransk distillery. At first, the agreement was signed for a year, but, although the partnership was considered by both parties in the long term, they did not prolong the agreement. There are no comments about the further fate of the brand yet.
Rowson`s Reserve (40%) is a whiskey drink of warm amber color with golden reflections. The aroma is soft, light, slightly tart, with notes of oak, honey and heather. The taste is rich, spicy. The aftertaste is short and soft. Connoisseurs recommend drinking Rawson Reserve in its pure form or, in the American manner, with Coca-Cola.
The history of the alcohol concern Diageo (Diaggio)
Diageo is a conglomerate formed by the merger of two different companies whose success stories did not intersect. There were three people interested in the merger, but the president of LVMH (Louis Vuitton – Moët Hennessy) considered it unacceptable to mix the elite Dom Pérignon, which LVMH owned, with Grand Metropolitan eateries and dairies. Bernard Arnault failed to convince the leaders of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan to combine not all assets, but only alcohol. Therefore, the union was formed without him.
Maxwell Joseph and Grand Metropolitan
The owner of the British company Grand Metropolitan perfectly mastered the art of making billions without creating anything – neither goods nor brands. When Maxwell Joseph died at the age of 72, Grand Metropolitan was Britain’s 15th largest company, with restaurants, factories, breweries, betting shops, tobacco companies and a chain of hotels in 48 countries. The first was a real estate office, which Joseph bought at 16 for £500 borrowed from his father. Then – real estate, London’s Mandeville hotel, Mecca entertainment company, the Berni Inn restaurant chain and even the Bertram Mills circus.
In 1972, the Watneys brewery and the Coral gambling chain appeared in the Maxwell collection. And if not for the British Antimonopoly Committee, the billionaire’s empire would continue to grow domestically. But, taking into account the requirements of the antimonopolists, the diversified Grand Metropolitan simply went overseas to develop.
Grand Metropolitan became the largest British exporter of products to the United States. Watneys Brewery and its subsidiary International Distillers & Vintners produced J&B whiskey, Bailey’s liqueur, several varieties of gin, sherry and port. In addition, the company held the rights to distribute Smirnoff vodka in Europe. When Maxwell Joseph died in 1982, his multi-billion dollar assets went to his wife. And after 15 years, having lost several enterprises and billions, Grand Metropolitan entered into an alliance with the Irish company Guinness.
Guinness Distillery and Count Ivy Company
When Diageo mentions a pedigree from the middle of the 1799th century, they mean Guinness, Ireland’s most famous company. Three centuries ago, an abandoned brewery on the outskirts of Dublin was rented by aspiring winemaker Arthur Guinness. The first porter, a dark beer, was brewed under his direction in 130. And after XNUMX years, in those very troubled times of Prohibition, Guinness already had the glory of the largest brewery in the world. After the Second World War, the Guinness family, who received the title of Earls of Ivy, handed over the reins to managers who almost bankrupted the company.
In the early 80s, Ernest Saunders, a top manager at Nestle, was invited to Guinness, who was soon nicknamed “Deathbringer” for his ruthlessness towards the company’s unprofitable assets. But Deadly Ernest not only got rid of the ballast, but also acquired: first he bought the scotch manufacturer Arthur Bell & Sons, then he almost monopolized the Scottish strong alcohol market by taking over the Distillers Company, which owned the production of Johnnie Walker.
In 1989, Saunders was replaced by Anthony Tennant, who began to prepare the company for a merger with the French LVMH. But while Bernard Arnault was trying to persuade the conservative directors of the LVMH board to make a deal, Tennant was replaced by Anthony Griner and announced a merger with Grand Metropolitan.
This Anglo-Irish marriage took place in October 1997. And the British company Diageo was born, owning the collection of Maxwell Joseph from hotels, factories, casinos. And at the same time – the world’s largest alcohol market. After the merger, the firm focused on alcohol, grocers and a chain of eateries were sold.
The most famous Diageo brands are Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whiskey, J&B, White Horse, Gordon`s gin, Captain Morgan rum, Baileys liqueur, Guinness beer. The market value of the company today is $68,6 billion.
The name Diageo is officially simply translated as “Day of Peace”: dia – day, geo – world. And unofficially, in the company itself, they decipher it as an abbreviation, jokingly: “It’s always good to drink, especially often.” Drink Is Always Good Especially Often.
Diageo is the first and so far the only international alcohol company producing strong alcohol in Russia.