Just a year ago, Guinness owner Diageo issued a profit warning. Now the global drinks behemoth has issued a warning of another kind: in Britain, Guinness is in short supply. Apparently.

Rumours about the shortage have been somewhat fueled, especially by the media, which oscillates between labeling it a “stunt” and a “crisis.” Is this a clever PR tactic—a prompt for drinkers to head to their local pubs and enjoy a few pints before it’s too late—or is there genuinely a scarcity?

A representative from Diageo stated: “In the last month, we have experienced an extraordinary demand for Guinness in Great Britain. We have optimized our supply and are actively collaborating with our customers to ensure that distribution to retailers is managed as efficiently as possible.”

Diageo further noted that it “has no public data to substantiate this yet,” but emphasized that “there has been an extraordinary increase during our peak season, even by Guinness’ standards. From July to October, the overall ‘Total Beer Category’ volume dipped by 0.5 percent compared to last year. In contrast, Diageo’s beer segment outperformed the market with a volume growth of 23.2 percent; within this segment, keg Guinness saw an increase of 20.9 percent.”

The comeback of Guinness is remarkable, especially considering that craft and imported beers have taken a toll on the sales of other well-known brands. Anheuser-Busch InBev’s unsuccessful effort to broaden Bud Light’s appeal illustrates just how challenging this can be.

From Diageo’s perspective, this situation is merely a case of demand exceeding supply. However, many pubs appear to have secured a consistent stock. Let’s hope this isn’t a PR ploy setting the stage for £10 pints. It could very well be fueled by those seeking a pint of “semi-skimmed.”

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