United Breweries

Kingfisher owns Indian beer the way few brands own any market, and the company behind it is older than it looks in two different directions. Thomas Leishman, a Scotsman, formed United Breweries on 15 March 1915 by folding five South Indian breweries into one — Bangalore Brewing of 1885, British Brewery Corp of 1903, BBB of 1913, and Castle Brewery and Nilgiris Brewery Co., which goes back to 1857. That last date is the one this record carries, on the same principle applied elsewhere in the archive: date from the oldest constituent, not from the merger that named the company. Its early money came from supplying British troops with bulk beer in hogsheads before independence. Then in 1947 Vittal Mallya bought it and was elected its first Indian director at twenty-two, chairman a year later — the start of a family run that ended when his son Vijay's empire came apart and Heineken took control.

1. 1857
   Castle Brewery / Nilgiris Brewery Co.

   The oldest of the five constituents, and the date this record carries.

2. 1885
   Bangalore Brewing Co.

   Second constituent.

3. 1903
   British Brewery Corp.

   Third constituent.

4. 1913
   BBB Brewing Company Ltd.

   Fourth constituent.

5. 1915
   United Breweries formed

   15 March 1915 — Thomas Leishman brings all five South Indian breweries under one umbrella.

6. 1944
   First bottled label

   "Exports Beer" — before that, bulk beer for British troops moved in hogsheads.

7. 1947
   Vittal Mallya buys in

   Elected the group's first Indian director at twenty-two; chairman the following year.

8. 2021
   Heineken takes control

   Heineken raises its stake in United Breweries to 61.5% in 2021, taking control of the maker of Kingfisher and with it the largest position in Indian beer.

1. 1857Founded
2. 1915United Breweries formed

   15 March 1915 — Thomas Leishman brings all five South Indian breweries under one umbrella.

3. 1947Vittal Mallya buys in

   Elected the group's first Indian director at twenty-two; chairman the following year.

4. 2021Heineken takes control

   Heineken raises its stake in United Breweries to 61.5% in 2021, taking control of the maker of Kingfisher and with it the largest position in Indian beer.

Sources

1. controlConfirmed

   United Breweries is controlled by Founder / family.

   Heineken Holding N.V. Annual Report 2025 · Heineken Holding N.V. · 2026-04

   PrimaryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
2. foundedConfirmed

   United Breweries was formed on 15 March 1915 by Thomas Leishman, from five South Indian breweries. The 1857 date this record carries is the start of the oldest constituent, Castle Brewery / Nilgiris Brewery Co. — the same convention the archive applies to Brasserie Nationale, dated from 1764 rather than its 1975 merger. Stated explicitly because an inherited date and a founding date are indistinguishable otherwise.

   United Breweries — formation and early history · Reference and Indian business-press sources, cross-checked · 2026

   ReferenceMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-20Reviewed 2026-08-20

Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.