Kirin and Suntory Not a Good Blend

Kirin The Gold Lager

Suntory Premium Malts

Well, it appears the merger talks between Kirin Holdings and Suntory Holdings have broken down.

What could have been one of the biggest drinks company in the world “Kirin Suntory” has come to nothing.

Basically it seems the Suntory family who own 90% of the Suntory shares were demanding a larger portion of the new share allotment, over one third of the new companies shares, so they would have the power of veto over important decisions at board meetings.

Not entirely sure if any of this is of any interest to beer drinkers or general consumers as odds on things would have just carried on as normal anyway, but who knows.

It’s highly unlikely they would have changed any of their beers or beer styles anyway.

One of the best Kirin beers (in my opinion) is the seasonal Kirin Aki Aji which came out last autumn.

Suntory’s best is another seasonal beer, the Suntory Kohaku No Zeitaku (The Luxury of Amber) which came out last winter.