HIRAM WALKER® LIQUEURS ADDS GINGERBREAD TO SUCCESSFUL SEASONAL LINE-UP

-- New Limited Release Hiram Walker Gingerbread and Last Year's Favorite -- Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice -- Hit Retail October 1 --

Purchase, N.Y., (August 21, 2008) - Hiram Walker, the classic, diverse line of premium liqueurs, triple sec, schnapps and brandies, is building on last holiday season's hugely successful launch of Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice by reintroducing the limited edition seasonal liqueur along with newcomer Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur. The combination of two unique, contemporary, seasonal flavors is expected to drive holiday sales.

In keeping with Hiram Walker's long tradition of innovation, new Hiram Walker Gingerbread is the first nationally available gingerbread liqueur. It has a beautiful rich, nutmeg color and offers a sweet 'n' spicy brown sugar, ginger, vanilla and spice flavor that mixes perfectly with any spirit from vodka and gin to whiskey and tequila.

Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice returns after debuting to rave reviews and significant sales success in 2007. This bold pumpkin colored liqueur offers the delicious taste of vanilla, graham cracker and pumpkin pie and like cousin Gingerbread, pairs well with a wide range of spirits to create unique and festive holiday cocktails.

"Holiday entertaining can be stressful," said Cort Kinker, Marketing Director for Hiram Walker at Pernod Ricard USA. "Our goal with these two exclusive, limited-edition seasonal liqueurs is to provide easy, great tasting cocktail solutions with a distinctive flair during the holiday selling season, when consumer spending is at its peak and time is at a premium. With the success of Pumpkin Spice last year, the decision to bring it back this holiday season was easy, and adding Gingerbread to the mix just made sense."

Hiram Walker Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice will hit retail stores and on-premise establishments October 1, just as holiday plans and festivities kick into high gear. Both allocated products will be available for a limited time - beginning in October - when the unique flavors of gingerbread, pumpkin and spice find their place in foods and beverages from Seattle to Miami.

The launch of Gingerbread and the return of Pumpkin Spice capitalize on the soaring popularity of flavored cocktails, and reinforce Pernod Ricard USA's commitment to solidifying Hiram Walker's position as a leading player in the dynamic cordials category. The brands also are designed to provide retailers and on-premise operators with on-trend products that meet consumer needs and drive incremental sales and profits.

Kinker concludes, "Americans love special holiday flavors, as evidenced by the phenomenal success of Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Both flavors are great for home entertaining, or for adding relevance and excitement to any drink menu."

Like all 43 Hiram Walker flavors, Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread are made with all natural flavors for a fresh and authentic taste experience.

The October launch of Hiram Walker Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice will be supported with a full array of marketing initiatives including trade advertising, sampling (where legal), on- and off-premise point of sale materials including recipe neckers, case talkers, and re-designed 4-bottle counter units, table tents and a bartender recipe guide. Pumpkin Spice will return in its unique case shipper, while Gingerbread will sport the new Hiram Walker shipper perfect for cross merchandising with Absolut Vodka and Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur.

Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice will be available in both a 750ml and 1.0L size. The suggested retail price will be $8.99-11.99 for the 750ml.

Below is a small sampling of some of the simple, festive, attention-getting holiday cocktails that can be created with the seasonal liqueurs (more can be found at www.hiramwalker.com)

HOT PUMPKIN
1 part HW Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
½ part Kahlúa
4 parts hot coffee

Pour all ingredients into a mug. Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice

JACK-O-TINI
1 part. Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice
1 part Jameson® Irish Whiskey
1 part fresh sour mix
2 fresh ginger slices muddled (optional)

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

GINGERBREAD COOKIE
1 part HW Gingerbread Liqueur
1 part Absolut® Vodka
½ part Kahlúa
1 part half & half

Shake ingredient with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a crushed graham cracker rim and a skewer of spiced gumdrops.

GINGERBREAD-TINI
1½ parts HW Gingerbread liqueur
1 part Absolut® Mandrin
½ part fresh sour mix

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to accept responsibility when considering consuming alcoholic beverages. For more information, please visit: www.AcceptResponsibility.org

About Hiram Walker
Since 1858, Hiram Walker pioneered numerous distillation and manufacturing processes that are now industry standards. For example, Hiram Walker was one of the first product lines to begin placing labels on its bottles.

Hiram Walker Schnapps, Brandies and Bar Essential Liqueurs now sport a new, contemporary look, including actual photography on the labels to highlight the all-natural flavors used to create the liqueurs. Hiram Walker is one of a very few manufacturers to utilize only all-natural flavors in its entire line-up. The Hiram Walker logo has also been refreshed to reflect Hiram Walker's rich history and sophisticated style. Finally, the bottle has been redesigned with ridges on the collar, allowing for a better grip and easier pouring.

The line of Hiram Walker products consists of 43 Schnapps, Flavored Brandies and Bar Essentials. Hiram Walker Schnapps include classic Peppermint, Peach, Butterscotch, and Sour Apple, along with more modern flavors like Tangerine, Mango and recently introduced Pomegranate, Pear, and Pink Grapefruit. Hiram Walker Peppermint Schnapps is the leading Peppermint, accounting for about 30 percent of the peppermint schnapps category. Its leading flavored brandies include Blackberry, Coffee, and Apricot. Triple Sec, Amaretto, Blue and Orange Curacao, along with Crème de Menthe, Cacao, Cassis, and Banana, among others round-out the bar essentials line. Hiram Walker Triple Sec is responsible for roughly 20 percent of total triple sec category sales and is frequently commended for its preferred, natural taste. New Limited Availability Hiram Walker Seasonal Liqueurs, launched in 2007 with the successful Pumpkin Spice, is joined in 2008 by Gingerbread.

About Pernod Ricard USA
Pernod Ricard USA is a leading premium spirits and wine company and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA, the co-leader of the global spirits and wine industry. In July, 2008, Pernod Ricard completed the acquisition of V&S Vin & Sprit AB, the parent company of the New York-based Absolut Spirits Co., Inc. (ASCI).

Pernod Ricard USA is primarily focused on the high-margin segment of the industry and has a leading premium brand in virtually all key spirits and wine categories.

In addition to the iconic ABSOLUT® Vodka brand (which is sold in the United States through Future Brands, a joint venture between the now Pernod Ricard-owned ASCI and Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Inc.), Pernod Ricard USA's leading brands include The Glenlivet® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Chivas Regal® Scotch Whisky, Jameson® Irish Whiskey, Wild Turkey® Bourbon, Seagram's Extra Dry Gin®, Beefeater® Gin, Martell® Cognac, Malibu® flavored Rum, Kahlúa® Liqueur, Hiram Walker® Liqueurs, Pernod® and Ricard®, as well as Jacob's Creek® and Brancott Estate® wines, Perrier Jouët® Champagne, Mumm® Champagne, Campo Viejo® and Mumm Napa® wines.

The company is based in Purchase, New York, and has over 900 employees across the country.