{"id":54919,"date":"2026-04-20T11:22:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/brown-forman-family-leans-toward-french-company-over-american-rival-in-sale\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T11:22:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:22:41","slug":"brown-forman-family-leans-toward-french-company-over-american-rival-in-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/brown-forman-family-leans-toward-french-company-over-american-rival-in-sale\/","title":{"rendered":"Brown-Forman Family Leans Toward French Company Over American Rival in Sale"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

The controlling family behind Jack Daniel’s producer Brown-Forman reportedly prefers selling their company to French spirits giant Pernod Ricard rather than American competitor Sazerac, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions who spoke to Reuters on Monday.<\/p>

The family considers Pernod the more prestigious buyer, citing the French company’s collection of superior and well-known brands, the source revealed. The individual requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the negotiations.<\/p>

According to the source, the proposed deal structure combining cash and stock would enable the family to maintain a significant ownership position and continue having influence within the merged organization. These benefits are seen as more valuable than what Sazerac’s offer would provide.<\/p>

Sazerac entered the bidding competition earlier this month as a new contender for Brown-Forman, following Pernod’s March announcement that it was engaged in merger discussions with the American whiskey producer.<\/p>

A second source informed Reuters that Pernod’s current proposal consists of 80% stock and 20% cash, though these terms could be modified during negotiations.<\/p>

All three companies – Pernod, Brown-Forman, and Sazerac – have refused to provide comments when contacted by Reuters regarding the potential acquisition.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The controlling family of Jack Daniel’s producer Brown-Forman reportedly prefers selling to French spirits company Pernod Ricard rather than American competitor Sazerac. Sources say the family views Pernod as more prestigious with stronger brands and better deal terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":54918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[834],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776698561292.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-ehN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51676,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/bourbon-company-sazerac-challenges-pernods-bid-for-jack-daniels-owner\/","url_meta":{"origin":54919,"position":0},"title":"Bourbon Company Sazerac Challenges Pernod’s Bid for Jack Daniel’s Owner","author":"Admin","date":"April 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Private bourbon distiller Sazerac has approached Brown-Forman about a potential merger, disrupting ongoing talks between the Jack Daniel's maker and French spirits giant Pernod-Ricard. Industry analysts believe Pernod remains the frontrunner due to its global distribution network and ability to offer a stock swap deal that would preserve some control\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776144136777.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42968,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/french-liquor-giant-in-talks-to-merge-with-jack-daniels-owner-brown-forman\/","url_meta":{"origin":54919,"position":1},"title":"French Liquor Giant in Talks to Merge with Jack Daniel’s Owner Brown-Forman","author":"Admin","date":"March 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"French spirits company Pernod Ricard has been discussing a potential merger with Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey. The deal would combine the world's second-largest spirits company with America's top whiskey producer as the industry faces declining sales and tariff pressures.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774552906516.jpg?fit=450%2C301&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52912,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/french-spirits-giant-continues-merger-discussions-with-jack-daniels-owner\/","url_meta":{"origin":54919,"position":2},"title":"French Spirits Giant Continues Merger Discussions with Jack Daniel’s Owner","author":"Admin","date":"April 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"French beverage company Pernod Ricard confirmed Thursday that merger discussions with American whiskey maker Brown-Forman remain active. The potential deal faces competition from another U.S. spirits company offering $15 billion for the Jack Daniel's producer.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776327826197.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49746,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/sazerac-eyes-potential-bid-for-jack-daniels-parent-company-brown-forman\/","url_meta":{"origin":54919,"position":3},"title":"Sazerac Eyes Potential Bid for Jack Daniel’s Parent Company Brown-Forman","author":"Admin","date":"April 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"American spirits company Sazerac is reportedly considering a potential acquisition of Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey. This would create competition for French company Pernod Ricard, which is already in merger discussions with Brown-Forman.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775762577804.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52884,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/french-spirits-giant-sees-iran-conflict-threatening-annual-sales-despite-q3-growth\/","url_meta":{"origin":54919,"position":4},"title":"French Spirits Giant Sees Iran Conflict Threatening Annual Sales Despite Q3 Growth","author":"Admin","date":"April 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pernod Ricard, the French maker of Absolut vodka and Martell cognac, posted better-than-expected quarterly sales growth but cautioned that ongoing conflict in Iran is dampening tourism and hurting its travel retail operations. The company, currently in merger discussions with U.S. competitor Brown-Forman, anticipates a decline in full-year revenue despite the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776320497644.jpg?fit=450%2C322&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23057,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/french-liquor-giant-sees-profits-drop-as-us-china-demand-falls\/","url_meta":{"origin":54919,"position":5},"title":"French Liquor Giant Sees Profits Drop as US, China Demand Falls","author":"Admin","date":"February 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pernod Ricard, the French company behind Absolut vodka and Martell cognac, reported declining sales and profits in the first half of its fiscal year. The spirits maker faced challenges in key markets including the US and China, though it maintains optimistic long-term growth projections despite industry-wide struggles.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771499942490.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}