Distillers Corp., Ltd., of Montreal enjoyed substantial growth in the 1920s, in part due to Prohibition in the United States of America. In 1928 the Distillers Corporation was acquired by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, and given its now familiar name.
Noted brand names owned by Seagram include Chivas Regal whisky and Tropicana fruit juice.
In the 1990s Seagram branched out into the entertainment business with aggressive purchases including Universal Studios, MCA, PolyGram Records, and Deutsche Grammophon. Seagram controls a number of theme parks.
In 2000 controlling interest in Seagram's entertainment division was acquired by the Vivendi Group, and the beverage division by Pernod Ricard.