VIJAY MALLYA: IS HE OR ISN’T HE

According to reports, Vijay Mallya, the chairman of United Breweries Group in India, is thisclose to closing a deal with Britain’s Whyte & Mackay spirits group. U.K. newspaper The Daily Telegraph said last weekend that Mallya supposedly agreed to pay around $1.1 billion for the Glasgow-based Whyte & Mackay after several months of talks.

The deal has yet to be finalized, but people close to the agreement say they are edging closer to the end, which it could be wrapped up in the next three weeks.

If Mallya is successful, he will gain W&M Scotch whiskey, Vladivar vodka and Jura single-malt whisky to add to his Kingfisher lager, Bagpiper and McDowell’s whiskies.

Other reports have indicated that Vivian Imerman, chairman and chief at Whyte & Mackay, is denying rumors that he has agreed to a deal to sell his company to UB Group.

“We remain the owners of Whyte and Mackay and are still considering all of our options,” Imerman said this weekend.

Talks, which began last October, have stalled on more than one occasion due to Vivian Imerman, chairman and chief at Whyte & Mackay, holding out for more money while Mallya refused to purchase the company at all costs.