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CASPAR MACRAE has been appointed as Global Brand Director for Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey.  He is currently Vice-President of Marketing for William Grant & Sons in the US.  He’ll be responsible for Tullamore Dew across its key markets including the US, the UK and mainland Europe.  MacRae joined the company... Read More

DAVID GRAPSHI, Tequila National Sales Manager for Sazerac Company, has retired.  During his twenty-plus years with Sazerac, David was instrumental in developing many brands in the US marketplace including Herradura, El Jimador, Pueblo Viejo, Siete Leguas and Corazon.  David was awarded the title of “Conocedor del Tequila” in 2O13 –... Read More

FREDERIC PFLANZ, who became CEO three months ago, is stepping down “for personal reasons”, the company said.  Chairman François Hériard Dubreuil will take over as a transitional measure.  Pflanz, Rémy’s CFO for four years, will remain with the company as a “development director”, working on projects he had already initiated.

SARALEE MCCLELLAND KUNDE 66 A dairy ranchers’ daughter who became a grower of prized wine grapes and an irresistible force for the celebration of Sonoma County agriculture, Saralee McClelland Kunde passed away in January.  Revered by many, Kunde had been grappling with cancer since the fall of 2O12.  She became... Read More

EDGAR M. BRONFMAN 84 – THE BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN and philanthropist who, as chairman of the Seagram Company, expanded his family’s liquor-based empire, passed away in December.  Mr. Bronfman also served as president of the World Jewish Congress and championed the rights of Jews everywhere.  He inherited control of Seagram from... Read More

GRAHAM MACKAY 64 – THE MAN WHO TRANSFORMED SABMiller from a local South African business group into an $82 billion dollar brewing giant, has passed away.  When Mackay started at SAB in 1978 during the apartheid era, sanctions were in place, foreign-exchange controls prevented international expansion and the brewer’s portfolio... Read More

CHARLES GORDON 86 – THE LIFE PRESIDENT of William Grant & Sons has passed away.  Gordon was a key driving force in building William Grant & Sons into a strong independent family-owned company.  The great-grandson of company founder William Grant, Gordon’s achievements include leading the Glenfiddich and Grant’s Scotch whisky... Read More

JANE MORREAU has been named CFO and Executive Vice President of Brown- Forman upon the retirement of current CFO DON BERG, who is retiring at the end of the current fiscal year on April 3O.  Morreau has over 22 years of business and financial experience at Brown-Forman, most recently in... Read More

JOHN DOUGHERTY has been named National Sales Director.  The appointment represents the first in a series of new initiatives and structural changes underway following the recent appointment of MARC GOODRICH to serve as company President.  He will assume responsibility for the ongoing development of Excelsior Wines’ Sales Division, which currently... Read More

The drinks company has made several key management appointments in its Wines and Champagnes division. JEFF AGDERN, who most recently served as Vice President, Wine and Spirits Marketing at Pernod Ricard’s Canadian sister company, Corby Spirit and Wine Limited, has returned to the US as Senior Vice President, Wines and... Read More