Carlton Draught is owned by Asahi Group (Japan, TSE: 2502), which acquired the brand on 1 June 2020 from AB InBev, as part of a A$16 billion deal that also included Victoria Bitter.[1] Before Asahi Group, Carlton Draught was owned by AB InBev from 2016 to 2020.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Carlton Draught is brewed by Carlton & United Breweries in Melbourne and is one of the largest beer brands in Australia. Asahi acquired the business from AB InBev in 2020 for A$16 billion, the last of the SABMiller-related disposals.
Ownership timeline of Carlton Draught
2011 – 2016SABMiller[1]reportedSABMiller acquired Foster's Group, the owner of Carlton & United Breweries, in 2011.
Asahi Group is a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1889. Brandtree records 9 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSE: 2502.
Asahi Group Holdings was founded in Osaka in 1889 and is one of the two dominant Japanese brewers. It became a genuinely international company between 2016 and 2020 by buying the European and Australian beer brands that AB InBev was forced to divest to clear its takeover of SABMiller.
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 216 brands that began in Australia.
66 of them (31%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Carlton Draught among them.
Asahi acquired Carlton & United Breweries, the Australian business AB InBev had inherited with SABMiller, giving it Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught. The Australian competition regulator required Asahi to divest several cider and beer brands before approving the deal.
The parent company of Carlton Draught is Asahi Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Carlton Draught Australian or Japanese?
⌄
Carlton Draught originated in Australia in 1864, but it is owned today by Asahi Group, which is headquartered in Japan. So Carlton Draught is an Australian-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
When did Asahi Group buy Carlton Draught?
⌄
Asahi Group completed its acquisition of Carlton Draught on 1 June 2020, after announcing the deal on 19 July 2019. The deal, which also included Victoria Bitter, was valued at A$16 billion (enterprise value).
Who owned Carlton Draught before Asahi Group?
⌄
Before Asahi Group, Carlton Draught was owned by AB InBev from 2016 until 2020.
Is Carlton Draught still owned by Asahi Group?
⌄
Yes. As of 25 September 2026, Carlton Draught is still owned by Asahi Group. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
Brandtree needs to remember this choice and does not set any other cookie unless you accept.
If you choose “Accept all”, we also use Google Analytics cookies to count visits and see which pages help, so we can improve the site.
If you choose “Accept required”, no analytics cookie is set. Google Analytics still receives a cookieless ping with the page address and your IP address. No advertising is used either way. Privacy policy