Ahead of the release on Thursday of Diageo’s fiscal half-year results, here’s a look at the events that shaped the three months to the end of December for the company.
- There was big news for whisky fans at the start of October, as Diageo pledged US$46m to bring two so-called “lost” Scotch whisky distilleries back into production – Brora and Port Ellen are expected to be back online by 2020. In an interview with just-drinks, Diageo’s head of whisky outreach, Nick Morgan, said: “To say that we’re thrilled is an understatement”. The move prompted editor Olly Wehring to ask: Has Diageo made a mistake in bringing back Brora and Port Ellen?
- In November, we published a deep-dive into Diageo’s performance trends from 2013-2017. Following the analysis, spirits columnist Richard Woodard asked: What can the spirits industry learn from Diageo?
- There was more whisky news later in the month as the company added its Lagavulin 8 Year Old to the brand’s permanent line-up
- Towards the end of November, Diageo was moved to discontinue its Hilhaven Lodge American whiskey brand, following allegations against brand partner and film director Brett Ratner
- At the same time, the company halted its YouTube advertising after an investigation found ads for its spirits brands appearing alongside footage deemed inappropriate for and exploitative of children
- In mid-December, Diageo set a new goal for its Johnnie Walker #JoinThePact responsible drinking activation, as it looked to get 50m consumers to pledge never to drink and drive
- The quarter ended with an interesting tech story – the group launched a cocktail-making app on Amazon’s Alexa platform.