Diageo has distanced itself from recent claims of having shared “written confirmation” of the rules to a popular drinking game involving its Guinness brand.
The game, known as ‘Splitting the G’, has gained traction with consumers in recent months, resulting in an article on the Mail Online site last week. The article, timed to coincide with St Patrick’s Day, cited Jonathan Sitson, a “whipped cream expert” at UK-based retailer Quick Whip, as having received “written confirmation from Guinness owner Diageo” of how to play the game.
When contacted by Global Drinks Intel this week, a spokesperson for the group declined to comment specifically on the report, although Global Drinks Intel understands that no such communication with Sitson occurred.
“After 260 years, people are still finding new ways to interact with our beer and create new rituals and moments,” the spokesperson said. “The magic is in how people come together over pints, and of course do so responsibly.”
Global Drinks Intel has contacted Sitson and Quick Whip for further details.
Diageo is one of the 13 member companies of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, a London-based organisation funded by its members to “strengthen and expand their long-standing efforts to combat harmful drinking”.
In late 2023, the Guinness owner ran a worldwide multi-brand marketing activation, which included Guinness, to promote ‘The Magic of Moderate Drinking’.
