Canadian Club® Whisky Takes to the Court with New Lounge at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Home of the Detroit Pistons

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. [Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO)], a global leader in premium spirits, and Canadian Club® Canadian whisky (CC™), one of the world’s leading Canadian whiskies, unveiled a newly branded 4,000 square-foot Terrace at The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons® basketball team. The classically masculine Canadian Club Terrace, located at the east entrance concourse level, is the ultimate place to host guests and will be open to all ticket holders for Palace events.

The Canadian Club Terrace features imagery from the brand’s current campaign, “Damn Right Your Dad Drank It” in an open air bar and restaurant centered surrounding a masculine dark wood, black and silver accented CC™ themed bar. The 300-seat lounge will be open before each Pistons game for ticket holders to enjoy a buffet dinner and CC cocktails, reservations required. The full service bar will feature Canadian Club® Six Year, Canadian Club® Classic 12 and four specialty classic cocktails—CC & Ginger, CC & Soda, CC Sour and a Classic 12 Manhattan—for legal purchase age consumers to enjoy. In addition, the CC Terrace will be used for special events throughout the season including Canadian Club tastings led by brand ambassador, Dan Tullio.

“As a Michigan native, I’m excited to bring CC to The Palace, close to the original home of CC, right across the Detroit River in Windsor, Canada,” said Brian Stockard, brand manager, Canadian Club. “The CC Terrace will enhance the fan experience at the Palace and help basketball fans create their own memories of great games, friends and Canadian Club.”

“Michigan is a stronghold state for Canadian Club and we are proud to increase our presence here with the opening of the Canadian Club Terrace,” said John Horn, regional marketing director, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc.

The Canadian Club Terrace officially opened at a ribbon cutting on November 19, 2008. Guests enjoyed dinner and a CC tasting followed by the ceremonial ribbon cutting with Mayor Eddie Francis of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit Pistons CEO, Tom Wilson and CC brand ambassadors Dan Tullio and Tish Harcus. The guests in the CC Lounge ended the evening watching the Detroit Pistons take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As part of the Canadian Club Terrace, Beam Global will also highlight its drink smart® corporate social responsibility platform, which educates legal purchase age consumers about how to make responsible decisions about alcohol.

In November 2007, CC unveiled the first multi-layered national advertising campaign for the brand in almost 20 years. “Damn Right Your Dad Drank It” features candid imagery from the 1960s and 1970s and provocative taglines that remind consumers to embrace and celebrate their own masculinity. 2008 marks the 150^th anniversary of Canadian Club and the brand recently launched Canadian Club® 30 year old to commemorate this milestone. In addition, Canadian Club has partnered with the Movember Foundation, a charity that encourages men to grow and groom a “Mo”Australian slang for moustache—in the month of November in an effort to raise awareness and money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of America.

High-resolution images of the event are available upon request – contact Chelsea Cummings, ccummings@qorvis.com, 202-683-3106.

About Beam Global Spirits & Wine:

Inspiring conversations around the world, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., is building brands people want to talk about. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for our brands, including Jim Beam® Bourbon, Sauza® Tequila, Canadian Club® Whisky, Courvoisier® Cognac, Maker's Mark® Bourbon, Laphroaig® Scotch Whisky, Cruzan® Rum, Larios® Gin, Whisky DYC®, Teacher's® Scotch Whisky, DeKuyper® Cordials and Liqueurs, Knob Creek® Bourbon and Starbucks™ Liqueurs. Beam Global Spirits & Wine is part of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), a leading consumer brands company with annual sales exceeding $8 billion. For more information on Beam Global Spirits & Wine, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.

drink smart®

Canadian Club® Blended Canadian Whisky, 40% alc./vol.

©2008 Canadian Club Import Company, Deerfield, IL

Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc.
Kate Laufer, 847-948-8888
kate.laufer@beamglobal.com
or
Qorvis Communications
Nicole Chardavoyne, 202-683-3102
nchardavoyne@qorvis.com