Terlato Wine Group and Distell Group Limited, South Africa’s and Africa’s leading producer and marketer of spirits, ciders, wines and ready-to-drink beverages, announced they will merge Terlato’s Artisan Spirits division with Distell’s U.S. spirits division. The merging of the two businesses will result in a joint venture to be operated as a division of Terlato Wines. The new business, which is equally owned by Terlato and Distell, will be led by Bill Terlato as CEO, with a COO to be named who will manage operations, sales and marketing. The group will be based in the Chicago area, and will report to its own board of directors. It is expected to be fully operational with a sales force of more than 20 and a full marketing team within the first quarter of 2016.