A Diageo St Patrick’s Day weekend: from Dublin to New York

Diageo’s Irish brands have been big news over the last 12 months. In our Interim results, announced on 4 February, Guinness was one of the star performers:

• Guinness is now the biggest selling beer in Great Britain, with one in 10 pints sold in British pubs now a Guinness, and distribution of Guinness 0.0 in the GB on-trade up 69%.
• The success stretches beyond GB and Ireland, with Diageo Beer Company USA net sales growing 5%, primarily driven by strong growth in total Guinness sales
• It is the fastest growing beer in the on-premise in the US, for second consecutive year, having enjoyed double digit growth for eight consecutive halves, including 17% organic net sales growth between July and December 2024
• Guinness is in the middle of its first season as the official beer of the English Premier League, a partnership that is giving the brand a huge global platform

Added to this, Baileys recently celebrated its 50^th anniversary since first launch – rolling out a succession of great NPD and flavours. This includes a significant success with Baileys Chocolate. And Roe & Co has been flying the flag for Irish whiskey, continuing to challenge traditional innovation in the category – for example, last year’s launch of Roe & Coe Solera Single Malt.

St Patrick’s Day remains the great centrepiece for all our Irish brands. From ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, to making great Irish whiskey cocktails at a Dublin music festival, we have been running activations all over the world using our global and local Irish icons throughout the weekend as we mark a Saint’s Day that is celebrated beyond its borders.

Here is a run down of some of the great activity that has gone on and will continue through the rest of this week.

Guinness

Guinness was seen in one of the world’s most iconic financial settings yesterday, as members of Diageo’s North America team rung the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange – a St Patrick’s Day tradition that goes back 18 consecutive years.

And Guinness was big news in the US across the whole weekend, from appearing in a section on Friday’s edition of CBS Mornings, to running some great activations in Chicago on Saturday. This included the launch of our limited edition Good Time for a Guinness “Stout Schmear.” The schmear (a cream cheese spread, perfect for bagels, for those not in the know) was available exclusively at the Chicago Guinness Open Gate Brewery ahead of the Chicago River Dyeing tradition (where the Chicago River is dyed green, as part of its traditional St Patrick’s Day parade).

The world’s most iconic stout has also partnered with the Misneach festival – a new global music festival and celebration of Ireland's rich musical heritage, curated by Irish superstar Dermot Kennedy. It launched yesterday in Sydney and will travel to Boston for two shows – tomorrow and Wednesday.

Baileys

Baileys collaborated with London coffee company, Grind, over the weekend, to launch the “Baileys Irish Coffee”, with fans getting one served up on the house… if they use the secret password!

Consumers have been able to get their hands on the serve on the house across the St Patrick’s Day weekend at Grind's London Liverpool Street café by quoting the secret password “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”.

The “Baileys Irish Coffee” combines the luxurious taste of Baileys with Grind’s speciality coffee, featuring brown sugar, Irish whiskey, and a velvety sea salt Baileys cream float.

This new serve is the first in a series of seasonal hot coffees that Baileys is stirring up this Spring, with new serve moments to come for Mother’s Day and Easter.

Roe & Coe

The Roe & Co Distillery in Dublin invited locals and tourists to experience the best of Irish culture and celebration at a weekend long festival.

The Distillery site was transformed into a hub of celebration, featuring live music, watercolour artists, and a curated cocktail and food menu featuring contemporary Irish dishes that highlight the finest Irish ingredients.  

The on-site team served little and large versions of some delicious speciality cocktails to mark the occasion, including the F-Roe-Zen Irish Coffee, the Sham-Roe Shake and the Guinness & 106 Boilermaker.

Diageo Canada and Safe Driving

Diageo Canada, in partnership with Uber and MADD (Mothers Against Drink Driving) Canada ran a “Get There Safe” campaign in Toronto to reduce the risk of impaired driving over the St Patrick’s Day weekend. Coasters featuring a promotional code for 25% off Uber rides up to $10 were distributed in bars and restaurants across the city, offering patrons an easy and affordable way to secure a safe ride—no matter where the night takes them.

The activation is part of Diageo’s continued efforts to educating people and raising awareness about preventing impaired driving.

Smithwick’s

And finally, the Smithwick’s Experience in Kilkenny, Ireland, hosted a series of free live music sessions along with free guided tours for individuals with a Patrick-related name, surname, or an international variation of the same.

The Smithwick Experience is one of Ireland’s oldest brewery sites and the festival attendees were able to get a glimpse into Kilkenny's brewing heritage, the Smithwick family's influence, alongside a unique beer-tasting experience.