Diaego, the global drinks company, is having an interesting Christmas. It owns Guinness and Johnnie Walker whisky along with a host of other well known drinks brands, breweries and distilleries around the globe.
The UK headline was to be found with King Charles pouring a pint of Guinness at the new Opengate brewery and visitor centre in Covent Garden. It occupies some of the buildings used by the historic nineteenth century London porter brewery Combe.
Elsewhere Diaego is selling East African Breweries to Asahi (Peroni, Grolsch, Fullers) for $2.3bn. Earlier in 2025 Diaego sold its stakes in Guinness Nigeria and Guinness Ghana.
Diaego is also looking to sell its stake in the IPL cricket Royal Challengers Bengaluru which it has via its controlling stake in the Mumbai based United Spirits.
Grappling with such global giants is a task for those who seek a different model of hospitality where workers and consumers come first. Starting at the grassroots may be the way forward. Unite members at the Guinness Zero brewery in Belfast have been out on strike over pay which may well impact Christmas supplies.
Kmflett's Blog 
Wonder if he drank it. Years ago I went in a pub near the British Museum. The lamb and Flag? They had those snob screens in. Anyway, there was a huge print of the old queen mother attempting to play snooker on one wall. At Young’s brewery if memory serves
Gill
The Lamb in Lamb’s Conduit St. I think the QM was a gin person but the owner of Youngs (now a pub co) John Young had the kind of far right politics I expect she approved of