That would be a big shot glass to swallow for either Diageo or Pernod-Ricard.
Regardless of vintage, Irish whiskey is definitely flying off the shelves these days, with sales of Jameson, owned by the French conglomerate Pernod-Ricard, ramping up by 25 percent in the six months to October 2012.
Part of this is due to hopes that Diageo or Pernod-Ricard will make a bid for one or the other (or both) as a way to strengthen their position in the lucrative American whiskey market.
All this is partly because French rival Pernod-Ricard has been quicker off the mark in China this past decade, building up a dominant slice of the international-branded market with drinks such as Martell and Ballantine's.
Earlier this month, Pernod Ricard - the second largest distiller of Scotch whisky - reported flat global sales for the second half of 2012.
Scotch whisky sales in the second half of last year were "challenging" in South Korea, according to Pernod Ricard's half-year report.
The French-owned firm, part of Pernod Ricard, wants to build on the site of the Imperial distillery near Carron, which has not been used for 14 years.
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In Pernod Ricard's champagne sales, Perrier-Jouet sold well in the Americas, Asia and France, but western Europe led decline for Mumm.
The other big growth company is Pernod Ricard, which bought much of the Canadian-based Seagrams in 2000.
Distributed by French beverage giant Pernod Ricard SA, bottles in the first 5, 000-case run will be labeled simply Yao Ming and aimed at the top end of the market.
Pernod Ricard claims it was not theirs to sell, because they failed to re-register it when it lapsed in the 1970s.
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