What Diageo does

Diageo plc is a UK-incorporated, London-headquartered premium drinks company operating in nearly 180 countries and listed on the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and NYSE (DEO). Its portfolio of over 200 brands spans Scotch whisky (Johnnie Walker, Talisker, Lagavulin, Mortlach, Buchanan's), American whiskey (Bulleit, Crown Royal, Blade and Bow, Balcones), tequila (Don Julio, Casamigos), gin (Tanqueray, Gordon's), vodka (Smirnoff, Ciroc, Ketel One), rum (Captain Morgan, Don Papa), liqueurs (Baileys), and beer (Guinness, including Guinness 0.0 non-alcoholic). Many brands carry centuries of heritage — Guinness (1759), Johnnie Walker (1820), Tanqueray (1830), Smirnoff (1864) — and Diageo holds category-leading positions including #1 Scotch, #1 stout, #1 vodka, and #1 cream liqueur globally, with approximately 38% of the world Scotch market. The company is organized around five regional markets (North America, Europe, Africa, Latin America & Caribbean, Asia Pacific) plus Global Travel.

Diageo generates revenue primarily through wholesale and direct sale of spirits and beer to retailers, wholesalers, and on-trade hospitality accounts; secondary streams include licensing/royalty arrangements, third-party manufacturing, and brand-home/visitor experience revenue (Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Guinness Storehouse). Distribution is hybrid: wholly-owned subsidiaries in priority markets (Mexico, Brazil, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Turkey via Mey İçki, UAE via Diageo MENA), joint ventures with Moët Hennessy in Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore, and exclusive third-party distributors across most of Central America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. Technology investments include the FlavorPrint AI flavor-matching tool (acquired via Vivanda), the Strategy Mosaic data context layer, and AI-powered counterfeit detection through Signa Techlaw.

FY2025 revenue was $20.2 billion with 29,000+ global employees. The company is currently in an active turnaround under new CEO Sir Dave Lewis (joined January 2026), implementing cost cuts, a halved dividend, workforce reductions in Ireland (~150) and India (~100), and portfolio optimization including the $1.78B RCB divestiture and the planned EABL sale to Asahi. FY2026 organic sales are guided to decline 2%-3%, reflecting weak U.S. spirits demand, with offsetting growth in Europe (driven by Guinness), Africa, Latin America, RTDs, and non-alcoholic.

Name

Diageo

Legal name

Diageo plc

Website

https://diageo.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Diageo plc is a UK-listed global premium drinks company holding over 200 brands — including Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, Baileys, and Don Julio — and selling them across nearly 180 countries through wholesale, retail, on-trade, joint ventures, and wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Spirits and Beer

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Breweries (31212), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Retail & Whiskey Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAD), Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE), Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA), Beverage Logistics, Warehousing & Cold-Chain Distribution (AFAIAGAM)

Keywords

• Premium spirits
• Distilled beverages
• Scotch whisky
• Branded beer
• Alcoholic drinks

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Spirits and Beer Product Sales: Core revenue from selling premium spirits (whisky, vodka, gin, tequila, rum, liqueurs) and beer (primarily Guinness) through wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels globally. Revenue from sales in nearly 180 countries.
2. Visitor Experiences and Brand Homes: Revenue from distillery visitor experiences including Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh, Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, and other brand homes offering tastings, tours, and merchandise.
3. B2B Services and Supply Arrangements: Supply chain and manufacturing services, including licensed production arrangements in various markets and third-party manufacturing partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Diageo is a global premium drinks company that produces, markets and distributes a portfolio of over 200 beverage alcohol brands across spirits (Scotch, whiskey, vodka, gin, tequila, rum, liqueurs) and beer (Guinness). Its products are sold in nearly 180 countries through wholesale, retail, hospitality, travel retail, e-commerce, and brand-owned visitor experiences.

Product overview

Diageo is a global leader in premium drinks with over 200 brands across spirits and beer categories. The portfolio includes: Scotch whisky brands (Johnnie Walker, Talisker, Lagavulin, The Singleton, Mortlach, Buchanan's); American whiskey (Bulleit, Crown Royal, Blade and Bow, Balcones); tequila (Don Julio, Casamigos); gin (Tanqueray, Gordon's); beer (Guinness including Guinness 0.0); vodka (Smirnoff, Ciroc, Ketel One); rum (Captain Morgan); liqueurs (Baileys); and non-alcoholic offerings (Seedlip, Ritual Zero Proof). Diageo operates as a unified beverage alcohol company organized around regional markets (North America, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Caribbean, Asia Pacific, Global Travel) with shared supply chain, marketing, and innovation functions across its portfolio of acquired and owned brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Johnnie Walker: The world's best-selling Scotch whisky brand
• Guinness
• Tanqueray
• Baileys
• Smirnoff
• Captain Morgan
• Crown Royal
• Don Julio
• Ciroc
• Buchanan's
• Casamigos
• J&B
• Ketel One
• Aviation American Gin
• Balcones
• Blade and Bow
• Bulleit Frontier Whiskey
• George Dickel
• I.W. Harper
• Lone River
• Loyal Nine Cocktails
• Ritual Zero Proof
• Ypioca
• Zacapa
• Grand Old Parr

Products and services

• Johnnie Walker The world's best-selling Scotch whisky brand with a portfolio spanning Red Label, Black Label, Blue Label and specialty expressions.
• Guinness Iconic Irish stout and world's leading stout brand, including the non-alcoholic variant Guinness 0.0.
• Smirnoff World's number one vodka brand and the most popular vodka globally.
• Tanqueray World's number one premium gin with a distinctive juniper-forward flavour profile.
• Baileys World's best-selling cream liqueur combining Irish whiskey with dairy cream.
• Captain Morgan Premium rum brand made with Caribbean rums.
• Crown Royal Expertly blended and patiently aged Canadian whisky with a new 'Bring It' brand platform launched in 2026.
• Don Julio World's first luxury tequila brand in the super-premium Mexican spirit segment.
• Casamigos Small batch, ultra-premium tequila made from hand-selected 100% Blue Weber agave; one of the fastest-growing super-premium tequila brands in the US.
• Bulleit American frontier whiskey brand featuring high-rye bourbon and rye expressions, including a limited 20-year-old expression launched in 2026.
• Blade and Bow 12-Year-Old Solera Reserve Limited annual expression Kentucky Straight Bourbon at $64.99 per 750mL with multi-vat Solera finishing using Cognac, Bordeaux, Moscatel and Port casks.
• Stitzel Reserve 31-Year-Old Bourbon Limited release bourbon whiskey of 176 bottles at $3,000 per 750mL, bottled at 163.2 proof, sold exclusively at the Louisville Stitzel-Weller Distillery.
• The Cocktail Collection 100ml Mini Cans Ready-to-drink mini cans featuring Ketel One Vodka, Bulleit Bourbon and Crown Royal cocktails, priced $4.99 per can to $25.99 for a 6-pack, targeting summer occasions.
• Ritual Zero Proof RTD Cocktails Ready-to-drink canned non-alcoholic cocktails including Margarita, G&T and Spritz varieties at $13.99 per four-pack, expanding into the North American RTD non-alcoholic segment.
• Guinness 0.0 Non-alcoholic variant of Guinness stout and the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beer in the UK.
• YunTuo Single Malt Whisky Single malt whisky from Diageo's first distillery in China, located in Eryuan, Dali, Yunnan Province at 2,100 meters altitude, achieving 100% operational carbon neutrality.
• Balcones Distilling American single malt distillery in Waco, Texas, acquired in 2022; Diageo's first full ownership of an American single malt producer.
• Don Papa Rum Philippine premium rum brand acquired in March 2023 to expand Diageo's spirits portfolio.
• Mr Black Australian cold brew coffee liqueur brand acquired from Distill Ventures in September 2022 and the fastest-growing coffee liqueur in the US.
• Visitor Experiences and Brand Homes Distillery visitor centres including Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh, Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Guinness Open Gate Brewery and other brand homes offering tastings, tours and merchandise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Guinness achieved double-digit compound annual growth and became #1 draft beer in New York and Boston
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mount CharlesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 July 2026Partnership with Mount Charles at Belfast International Airport's Northern Quarter Bar & Kitchen driving 53% increase in pint sales. Diageo invested in pouring infrastructure and staff training.
• SAI PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Diageo participates in SAI Platform's Regenerating Together Programme backed by 40+ global food and agriculture companies to accelerate regenerative agriculture implementation across global supply chains with independent verification and benchmarking protocols.
• Asahi BreweriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Kenyan high court lifted freeze on exemption granted to Asahi in its partnership with Diageo, allowing the joint venture to proceed. The partnership involves Asahi acquiring Diageo's stake in East African Breweries plc (EABL).
• Starboard/Carnival Cruise LineminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 June 2026Limited-edition Bulleit Bourbon launched exclusively on 14 Carnival cruise ships as part of A250 summer celebrations honoring America's 250th anniversary.
• OP2B CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Diageo participates in OP2B coalition with Arla, Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, and Unilever publishing recommendations on scaling agricultural transition through EU Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Framework.
• StrategycoreTechnology or Integration · 9 June 2026Co-presentation at Gartner Data & Analytics Summit London 2026 demonstrating Strategy Mosaic universal context layer helping Diageo reduce data product delivery time from two weeks to hours with consistent metric definitions across Finance, Sales, and regional teams.
• FIFA World Cup 2026coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 June 2026Diageo became Official Spirits Supporter for FIFA World Cup 2026 as Tier 3 sponsor, connecting iconic brands including Smirnoff, Casamigos, Johnnie Walker, Buchanan's and Don Julio with global sports fans across the Americas.
• DaVinci CommercecoreTechnology or Integration · 12 May 2026Partnership for commerce media automation enabling Diageo to launch campaigns in 15 days across 75 retail media networks in 60 markets, 15x faster than previous process. Recognized at The Drum Awards for Commerce Media 2026.
• Off Grid HospitalityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 April 2026Diageo Rare & Exceptional providing premium cocktail services at Off Grid Hospitality's exclusive trackside suite at Miami Grand Prix 2026.
• Washington SpiritminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 May 2025Diageo North America and Washington Spirit renewed their purpose-driven partnership for year two, focusing on responsible celebrations, workforce development, and community impact in Washington D.C. Includes Take A Minute impaired driving prevention campaign and Learning Skills for Life hospitality training program.
• Quaffine Cold Brew LiqueurminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Diageo acquired 25% stake in Quaffine, an Indian cold brew liqueur brand, which has since grown 2.5 times expanding from Goa to multiple Indian cities and international markets.
• Zee Entertainment EnterprisescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiageo signed as Co-Powered By Sponsor for FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast across Zee's television network and Zee5 streaming platform, reaching over 300 million unique viewers.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Pernod Ricard: Paris-based global spirits and wine major; directly competes with Diageo in Scotch (Chivas Regal vs Johnnie Walker), Irish whiskey (Jameson), vodka (Absolut), gin (Beefeater), and premium tequila/cognac. Closest 1:1 portfolio competitor worldwide.
• Brown-Forman: U.S.-listed spirits company anchored by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey; competes head-to-head with Diageo's North American whiskey portfolio (Crown Royal, Bulleit, Woodford Reserve-adjacent). Similar premiumization and U.S. channel dynamics.
• Beam Suntory: Subsidiary of Suntory Holdings; producer of Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Knob Creek and Yamazaki, directly overlapping Diageo's bourbon and premium Scotch/whisky portfolios globally.
• Rémy Cointreau: French owner of Rémy Martin cognac, Cointreau liqueur, and LOUIS XIII; competes with Diageo in luxury spirits and travel retail, a strategic battlefield where Diageo holds leading Scotch and liqueur positions.
• Campari Group: Italian-listed spirits company (Aperol, Campari, Wild Turkey, Espolòn); competes in the same RTD, aperitif, and premium tequila spaces Diageo is investing behind (Casamigos, Don Julio, The Cocktail Collection).
• Constellation Brands: U.S. Fortune 500 beverage alcohol major with beer (Corona Extra U.S., Modelo), wine, and spirits (Svedka); competes with Diageo across U.S. off-premise beer, RTD, and spirits with similar channel exposure.

Broad incumbents

• Anheuser-Busch InBev: Largest global brewer (Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona) with growing premium spirits exposure; broad incumbent competing for share-of-throat in on-premise and off-premise channels where both Diageo and AB-InBev compete most heavily.
• Heineken: Global brewer with expanding cider and low/no alcohol footprint (Heineken 0.0); competes broadly with Diageo in European beer/cider/zero-alcohol categories and increasingly in moderation-focused occasions.
• Molson Coors Beverage Company: U.S./Canadian brewer expanding into premium spirits (Crispin, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer competitor, various spirits partnerships); competes in North American mainstream beer and increasingly in non-alc/RTD spaces.

Regional players

• Asahi Group Holdings: Japanese brewer acquiring Diageo's EABL stake in East Africa; competes regionally in APAC beer and spirits with a stronger Asia-centric focus while Diageo is more globally diversified across premium categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A27 records

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Diageo