Beam Inc. (NYSE:BEAM), the leading American spirits company, and Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern), the nation's leading wine and spirits distributor and control state broker, are pleased to announce jointly the appointment of Tony Truzzolino to Southern Wine & Spirits as Senior Vice President, Sales for the Beam portfolio. Truzzolino joins Southern from Beam where he most recently served as General Sales Manager, Southern Region, overseeing the 31 states in the U.S. where Southern Wine & Spirits is Beam's distributor partner.

In his new role at Southern, effective May 1, Truzzolino will report directly to Brad Vassar, Executive Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., and will be responsible for accelerating the growth of Beam's portfolio, including Jim Beam® Bourbon, Sauza? Tequila, Canadian Club® Whisky, Courvoisier® Cognac, Maker's Mark® Bourbon, Pinnacle® Vodka, Skinnygirl® Cocktails and more.

"Tony Truzzolino has been an invaluable member of our Beam team for the past 10 years. He has a sharp ability to get results and motivate his team to success, which has been a key driver of our ability to grow and become one of the largest share gainers in the U.S. marketplace," said Bill Newlands, President of Beam North America. "I am confident that Tony will be an outstanding addition to the Southern Wine & Spirits family working directly with us to ensure focused prioritization and results on our existing brands and new innovations as we drive accelerated growth throughout the country. With Tony's key leadership appointment, we now have the best of both worlds, and it only further strengthens our relationship with Southern."

"We are pleased to be Beam's single largest distributor partner, and we continue to look for unique opportunities to further partner together in driving mutual growth," added Brad Vassar. "We look forward to Tony Truzzolino joining our Southern team to focus on the Beam portfolio--leveraging his depth of talent and expertise. With Tony in this critical leadership position, along with our dedicated team of portfolio managers throughout the U.S., we are well positioned for the future."

Truzzolino brings nearly 30 years of experience in the industry, including the past decade that he has spent at Beam in both wine and spirits. He has served as General Sales Manager at Beam since 2008.

About Beam Inc.

As one of the world's leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher's Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,400 passionate associates worldwide generated 2012 sales of $2.5 billion (excluding excise taxes), volume of 38 million 9-liter equivalent cases and some of the industry's fastest growing innovations.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit http://www.beamglobal.com and http://www.drinksmart.com.

About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.

Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation's largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets. The multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. In addition, Southern operates in Minnesota through a joint venture with J.J. Taylor Distributing Company. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs nearly 14,500 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see: http://www.southernwine.com.

Beam Inc.
Paula Erickson, 847-444-7590
Paula.Erickson@beamglobal.com
or
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.
Lee Brian Schrager, 305-625-4171 x 1040
Vice President, Corporate Communications & National Events
leeschrager@southernwine.com