Beam Global Spirits & Wine Selects Capgemini to Help Business Transformation; Contract Provides Consulting, Systems Integration & Applications Management for Spirits Industry Leader.

CHICAGO -- Capgemini, one of the world's leaders in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, has been awarded, in North America, a multi-million dollar contract to design and implement a global SAP solution by Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., the world's fourth largest spirits company. During a 16-month engagement, Capgemini US LLC (Capgemini) and Beam Global will work together to transform key operational areas of the business.

After recent acquisitions from Allied Domecq, Beam Global has more than 100 brands, operations in 16 locations and sales in 160 countries. Capgemini will help to deliver long term solutions to global operations in multiple locations, such solutions aiming at enhanced accuracy, greater visibility into critical business data, appropriate controls to meet local and global accounting and reporting standards, and global consistency. Beam will leverage Capgemini's expertise in the consumer products industry and global SAP implementation along with the SAP ERP solution to create a platform to support these objectives.

"As we increase our investment in brand building over the long term, we need a stable and scalable technology platform to support our new global operations," said Keith McLeod, chief information officer for Beam Global. "Working with Capgemini as our technology partner to make the first phase of our SAP implementation a success is a corporate priority."

Capgemini will use its full breadth of transformational consulting capabilities to re-engineer Beam Global's international operations providing improved synergies and growth enablement. Beam has selected the SAP Business Suite as its global ERP platform. Capgemini will drive the technology transformation with an onsite technology team in Chicago, supported by key functions from around the world.

"Capgemini will provide leading practices that optimize global operations from across our consulting, technology and outsourcing disciplines to add value to Beam's bottom line," said Liam Walsh, vice president of Capgemini in North America. "Our distributed delivery approach will help Beam Global improve service levels, increase their IT flexibility and lower their technology costs."

Beam is one of 16 new clients who have contracted with Capgemini's Midwest business unit thus far in 2006, a result of Capgemini's focus on engaging more effectively with its local markets. Capgemini continues to hire for its hub office locations of Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit across a variety of consulting and technology capability areas to keep up with this increased market demand for local service delivery.

About Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc.

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, national and 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), Knob Creek(R) and the small batch bourbon collection, 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. (NYSE:FO), 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.

About the Capgemini Group

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of Consulting, Technology, and Outsourcing services, has a unique way of working with its clients, which it calls the Collaborative Business Experience. Through commitment of mutual success and the achievement of tangible value, Capgemini helps businesses implement growth strategies, leverage technology and thrive through the power of collaboration. Capgemini employs approximately 63,000 worldwide and reported 2005 global revenues of 6.9 billion euros. More information about individual service lines, offices and research is available at www.capgemini.com.