Canadian Club Whisky Makes Indy Racing League Series Debut at the Indianapolis 500 with Dario Franchitti

DEERFIELD, Ill.--April 5, 2006--Canadian Club(R), a leading premium Canadian whisky and core brand of Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., announced yesterday that it will venture into the Indy Racing League(R) IndyCar(R) Series through a partnership with Andretti Green Racing (AGR). Canadian Club will make its racing debut at the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500 as a major sponsor of the No. 27 car driven by Dario Franchitti and will continue as a primary sponsor through the remaining 10 races of the 2006 season.

"The IRL IndyCar Series is an excellent fit for the Canadian Club brand," said Dennis Prado, Senior Brand Director, Canadian Club whisky. "What was initially so compelling for us is the strong geographic alignment between the race markets and our core Canadian Club markets. More than 50% of Canadian Club's total sales come from the IRL race markets."

"In addition, our research confirms that a high percentage of race fans are whisky consumers so we know we're reaching the right audience through the IRL. We also feel the refined, sleek, sophisticated style of IndyCar racing aligns well with the Canadian Club brand attributes," Prado continued. "When you combine all of these elements, it makes perfect sense for Canadian Club to become involved with the IRL."

Canadian Club will leverage its racing sponsorship to raise awareness of and to educate consumers about responsible consumption. Through its drink smart(R) platform, the company reminds consumers of legal purchase age of three important rules: 1) if you're under 21, don't drink; 2) if you're of legal purchase age and choose to drink, do so in moderation; and 3) never drive drunk. In support of drink smart, all communications materials as well as Dario's firesuit and car will bear the drink smart icon. Also, a Canadian Club drink smart-branded street-legal two-seater car will travel to race markets across the U.S. to ensure that the drink smart tenets remain top-of-mind.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and Beam Global Spirits & Wine announced today that the company will make a $100,000 donation on behalf of Canadian Club to The Michael Andretti Foundation to support alcohol education and awareness initiatives in various communities across the country. Currently, Canadian Club is working with The Michael Andretti Foundation and The Century Council--an organization dedicated to fighting underage drinking--to customize a program that will educate and encourage parents and retailers to take an active role in keeping alcohol away from underage youth. Complete program details will be announced at a later date.

"The IRL IndyCar Series is a highly visible platform for our drink smart social responsibility efforts," said Prado. "With 86% of its fan base comprised of adults 25 years and older, the IndyCar Series affords us an opportunity to build relevance and excitement for Canadian Club among a new generation of legal purchase age consumers while reminding them of the importance of making responsible decisions about alcohol."

Franchitti, a 32-year-old native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., has compiled a remarkable record in his two full seasons with AGR. In 37 starts spanning the 2004 and 2005 campaigns, he has raced to four wins, 14 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes. Before making the move to the IndyCar Series with AGR, Franchitti scored 10 victories and 11 pole positions in CART.

"Dario is a highly talented and experienced race car driver who is poised to have another great year," said Prado. "Dario is a good guy and we couldn't be happier to have an all-around winner, both on and off the track, representing our award-winning whisky."

While Canadian Club may be new to motorsports, its parent company Beam Global Spirits & Wine has been involved with Franchitti in various sponsorship capacities most recently through its Jim Beam(R) bourbon brand.

"I'm very excited that Canadian Club is coming onboard and we're getting a different color scheme on the car," said Franchitti. "It's always fun to have a slightly different color scheme, but at the same time, we're staying within the Beam Global family with many of the same people. I think the addition of Canadian Club is a great thing for the IndyCar Series, especially at Indianapolis with Michael (Andretti) in the Jim Beam/Vonage car and me in the Klein Tools/Canadian Club car."

Canadian Club will also serve as an associate sponsor on the cars of AGR drivers Bryan Herta and 2004 IndyCar Series Champion Tony Kanaan.

For additional tips on making responsible decisions about alcohol, please visit www.drinksmart.com.

Editor's Note: Hi-resolution images of the No. 27 Klein Tools/Canadian Club car are available upon request.

About Beam Global Spirits & Wine

Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. is the fourth largest spirits company in the world. With nine of the world's top-100 premium spirits in its portfolio, the company's brands hold global and national leadership positions in key categories, including Jim Beam(R) bourbon; Canadian Club(R) Canadian whisky; Courvoisier(R) cognac; Laphroaig(R) Scotch; Sauza(R) tequila; Larios(R) gin; Whisky DYC(R); Teacher's(R) Scotch; and DeKuyper(R) cordials. The portfolio also includes Maker's Mark(R) bourbon, Knob Creek(R) bourbon and The Small Batch Bourbon Collection(R), and Starbucks(TM) Liqueurs. Beam Wine Estates is a top-five super-premium wine company in the U.S., featuring Clos du Bois(R), the number two super-premium U.S. wine brand, and the award-winning Geyser Peak(R). Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. is part of Fortune Brands, Inc. , a $7 billion leading consumer brands company. For more information on Beam Global Spirits & Wine and the company's sales and distribution partners, please visit www.beamglobal.com.

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        Canadian Club(R) Blended Canadian Whisky, 40% alc./vol.
          (C)2006 Canadian Club Import Company, Deerfield, IL