EXHIBIT 99

                          [FORTUNE BRANDS LETTERHEAD]

CONTACT:
MEDIA RELATIONS:              INVESTOR RELATIONS:
CLARKSON HINE                 ANTHONY J. DIAZ
(847) 484-4415                (847) 484-4410


                           FORTUNE BRANDS CABINET UNIT
                    COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF THE OMEGA GROUP
            COMPANY ADDS TO MOMENTUM IN CABINET SEGMENT WITH EXPANDED
        CUSTOMER BASE & OMEGA'S EXPERTISE IN COMPLEMENTARY CABINET LINES

Lincolnshire, IL, April 12, 2002 - Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), the consumer
products company, today announced that its home products business has completed
the $538 million acquisition of kitchen and bath cabinet manufacturer The Omega
Group.

Primarily a supplier of custom, semi-custom and frameless semi-custom cabinetry
to kitchen and bath dealers, The Omega Group will enhance the ability of Fortune
Brands' cabinet business to compete in the highly fragmented dealer channel, the
industry's largest channel of distribution. In 2001, The Omega Group held the
fourth largest position in the North American cabinet market with net sales of
$325 million. Including The Omega Group, Fortune Brands' MasterBrand Cabinets
unit (MBCI) expects to strengthen its number two position in the marketplace
with total cabinet sales surpassing $1.1 billion on an annualized basis. The
acquisition adds the Omega, Kitchen Craft and Home Crest brands to a portfolio
of premier cabinet brands that includes Aristokraft, Schrock, Diamond, Decora
and Kitchen Classics.

"The Omega Group joins the Fortune Brands family at a time of strong momentum
for our Home & Hardware business," said Fortune Brands' Chairman & Chief
Executive Officer Norm Wesley. "So far in 2002, we've seen robust internal sales
growth in cabinets, we've been selected by The Home Depot to supply its entire
line of Thomasville brand cabinetry, and now we're accelerating our momentum by
adding the complementary strengths of The Omega Group with its top-tier customer
base and core expertise in custom and frameless semi-custom cabinetry."

"The Omega Group is a perfect fit, and reflects our strategic commitment to
positioning our businesses for stronger growth and higher returns," Wesley
added. "We made dramatic strategic progress in our Spirits & Wine business in
2001, and this is another strategic initiative that we expect will deliver
attractive returns and excellent value for our shareholders. We're targeting
that this high-return acquisition will add 8 to 10 cents of earnings per share
in 2002 with even greater benefits in the years ahead," Wesley added.

Fortune Brands also announced plans to eliminate Omega's outstanding public
debt. Accordingly, Omega currently intends to exercise its option to redeem the
outstanding



                                     (more)
                              www.fortunebrands.com




FORTUNE BRANDS' CABINET UNIT COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF THE OMEGA GROUP, PAGE 2


10 1/2% senior subordinated notes due 2007, totaling $100 million, in June of
this year.

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Fortune Brands, Inc. is a consumer products company with annual sales exceeding
$5 billion. Its operating companies have premier brands and leading market
positions in home and hardware products, office products, golf equipment and
spirits and wine. Home and hardware brands include Moen faucets, Aristokraft and
Schrock cabinets, Master locks and Waterloo tool storage sold by units of
MasterBrand Industries, Inc. Major spirits and wine brands sold by units of Jim
Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc. include Jim Beam and Knob Creek bourbons, DeKuyper
cordials, The Dalmore single malt Scotch, Vox vodka and Geyser Peak and Canyon
Road wines. Acushnet Company's golf brands include Titleist, Cobra and FootJoy.
Office brands include Day-Timer, Swingline, Kensington and Wilson Jones sold by
units of ACCO World Corporation. Fortune Brands, headquartered in Lincolnshire,
Illinois, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FO
and is included in the S&P 500 Index.

To receive company news releases by e-mail, please visit WWW.FORTUNEBRANDS.COM.

                                      * * *

This press release contains statements relating to future results, which are
forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date hereof. Actual results may differ
materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties,
including but not limited to changes in general economic conditions, foreign
exchange rate fluctuations, changes in interest rates, competitive product and
pricing pressures, trade consolidations, the impact of excise tax increases with
respect to distilled spirits, regulatory developments, the uncertainties of
litigation, changes in golf equipment regulatory standards, the impact of
weather, particularly on the home products and golf brand groups, expenses and
disruptions related to shifts in manufacturing to different locations and
sources, challenges in the integration of acquisitions and joint ventures, as
well as other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the
Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

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