 He was also instrumental in the purchase of Bushmills Distillery and responsible for creating a partnership with the Canadian firm Seagrams, who purchased 20% of United Distillers.In 1972 he agreed to write a series of articles for the "Sunday Independent", which embroiled him in a controversy between the newspaper and the National Union of Journalists.The NUJ objected to his writing the articles on the basis that it was a threat to the employment of their members.