Beam Global Spirits & Wine Commends NABCA for Supporting DWI Courts

NABCA Joins the Leading American Spirits Company in the Fight Against Hardcore
Drunk Driving
DEERFIELD, Ill.--(Business Wire)--
Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. [Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO)], the leading
American spirits company and industry leader in the battle against hardcore
drunk driving, recognizes and commends the recent endorsement by the National
Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) of the National Center for DWI
Courts (NCDC). NABCA, the latest organization to announce its support of NCDC
and its 526 DWI Courts across the country, represents the interests of alcohol
beverage control agencies for states whose jurisdictions directly control the
distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.

The DWI Court system goes beyond traditional discipline and deals with hardcore
drunk driving offenders by providing long-term, ongoing accountability and
rehabilitation, in addition to a conviction. These courts have become the model
for getting the most dangerous drunk drivers off the roads. Hardcore drunk
drivers are drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .15 and above and/or
are repeat offenders. These drunk drivers are responsible for 57 percent of
alcohol-related traffic fatalities and are 20 times more likely to be involved
in a crash. As DWI Courts are launched throughout the country, NCDC provides
training and research to the personnel needed to operate them.

"We commend NABCA for supporting the National Center for DWI Courts and urge
others to join us in the battle to eliminate hardcore drunk driving," said Bill
Newlands, president of Beam Global U.S. "In our three-year partnership with
NCDC, great progress has taken place in the establishment of DWI Courts, which
get results in convicting and providing ongoing treatment for hardcore drunk
drivers who are responsible for the majority of alcohol-related traffic
fatalities. We look forward to collaborating with NABCA and other key partners
to grow the overall number of DWI Courts throughout the country."

"The support NABCA has offered further attests to the value of The National
Center for DWI Courts," stated David Wallace, director of the National Center
for DWI Courts. "NABCA has a long history of supporting states` efforts to
combat drunk driving through sensible alcohol policies. Simply put, DWI Courts
are a solution that works. With the support of NABCA and other partners, we can
focus our expanding their reach and overall results."

"We have found that DWI Court graduates are three times less likely to be
rearrested for any criminal offense, and 19 times less likely for impaired
driving," continued Wallace. "With these types of statistics, we are changing
how courts and criminal justice professionals are addressing hardcore drunk
driving. DWI Courts work."

To commemorate Alcohol Awareness Month earlier this April, Beam Global and NCDC
announced their renewed partnership and set a goal to establish 365 new DWI
Courts in the next five years. Since Beam Global began partnering with NCDC in
2007, more than 130 new DWI Courts have been established in the United States.

About NCDC:

The National Center for DWI Courts is a professional services division of the
National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), established in 2007
and founded through a partnership with Beam Global Spirits & Wine. Its purpose
is to raise awareness about the success of DWI Courts, provide training,
technical assistance and research to DWI Courts, and establish new DWI Courts
nationwide. NCDC is sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Beam Global Spirits & Wine,
Inc, The Century Council, and now the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America,
Inc.

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 and Knob Creek Bourbon. Beam Global Spirits & Wine is part of
Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO), a leading consumer brands company recently named
one of the World`s Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine. For more
information on Beam Global Spirits & Wine, its brands, and its commitment to
social responsibility, visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.

© 2009 Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., Deerfield, IL.

drink smart

Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc.
Paula Erickson, 847-948-8888
paula.erickson@beamglobal.com
or
Qorvis Communications
Nicole Chardavoyne, 202-683-3102
nchardavoyne@qorvis.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009