2010 Golden Bar Awards

Diageo Honors America's Leading Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors at Seventh Annual Golden Bar Awards in New York

New York, NY - (July 21, 2010) - Diageo, the world's leading premium spirits, wine and beer company, honored spirits, wine and beer distributors at the Seventh Annual Golden Bar Awards at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Monday night.

The Golden Bar Awards, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, celebrates distributors and brokers from across the United States for their excellence in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities.

Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North America commended Diageo's distributors for their hard work and contributions to a very successful year in the industry, despite a difficult environment, remarking, "Tonight, we honor and applaud the achievements of the best of the best among us. What makes our winners truly spectacular is that they show all of us what we can do when we are at our best - even under challenging conditions."

Larry Schwartz, Diageo USA President, also commented on the importance of execution in the current market. Looking at the past year, we have all navigated through the economic challenges together, as a team, and emerged stronger. Tonight is a night to celebrate our combined strengths and absolute resolve, and to reiterate our commitment to this wonderful business.

The Golden Bar Awards recognize the efforts of distributors and brokers that represent Diageo's spirits, beer and wine brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieau Vineyard. Awards are also given for Innovation Launches, Control States, Three-Year Consistency, and Distributor of the Year. A special Platinum Bar Award was given for Advancing Responsible Drinking in the spirits, beer and wine categories.

In total 34 statuettes, 32 made with 24 carat gold, and two made with platinum, were awarded to distributors. Each Golden Bar statuette weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall, and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar(R), presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Below are the categories and winners for the 2010 Golden Bar Awards:

About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

2009 Golden Bar Awards

Diageo Honors America's Leading Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors at Sixth Annual Golden Bar Award

NEW YORK, September 10, 2009 - Diageo honored the country's leading spirits, wine and beer distributors today with the announcement of the Sixth Annual Golden Bar Award winners at www.DiageoGoldenBars.com.

"We are proud to honor the best of the best across beer, wine and spirits, and our desire to pay tribute to them remains stronger than ever. Congratulations to all of our 2009 nominees and winners for their remarkable achievements," said Ivan Menezes, President and CEO, Diageo North America.

Diageo hosts the Golden Bar Awards every year, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, to celebrate distributors and brokers from across the United States for their excellence in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities. This year, given the economic climate, Diageo elected to alter the format from a gala event, and is instead honoring nominees and winners online at www.DiageoGoldenBars.com.

Larry Schwartz, President, Diageo USA, said, "The year's challenges in the economy and the industry have made us more keenly aware and appreciative of the outstanding work of our distributors than ever. No matter the format in which we recognize the excellence of our distributors, and no matter the location, one thing has not changed: the Golden Bar Award winners are the best in the industry at what they do and deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated."

The Golden Bar Awards recognize distributors and brokers from across Diageo's brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieu Vineyard. Awards are also given for outstanding Innovation Launches, Control States excellence, and Distributor of the Year. This year Diageo has introduced a new award - the Platinum Bar - that recognizes the best distributor in promoting responsible drinking.

In total, 32 statuettes made of 24 carat gold will be delivered to the winners. Each Golden Bar statuette weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar®, presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A complete list of nominees and winners can be viewed at www.DiageoGoldenBars.com. Below are the categories and winners for the 2009 Golden Bar Awards:

About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).

For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

2008 Golden Bar Awards

Diageo Honors America's Leading Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors at Fifth Annual Golden Bar Awards in New York City

New York, NY - (July 11, 2008) – The country's leading spirits, wine and beer distributors were honored at the Fifth Annual Golden Bar Awards at the Museum of Natural History in New York City last night.

Diageo, the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company, hosts the Golden Bar Awards every year, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, to celebrate distributors and brokers from across the United States for their excellence in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities.

"Tonight, we honor all of our distributors for their hard work and commitment to building our brands. In this competitive environment, their great passion for this business has been critical to Diageo's success," said Ivan Menezes, President and CEO, Diageo North America.

The Golden Bar Awards recognize distributors and brokers from across Diageo's brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieau Vineyard. Awards are also given for Innovation Launches, Control states and Distributor of the Year.

In total, 32 statuettes made of 24 carat gold were awarded to distributors. Each Golden Bar statuette weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar®, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Below are the categories and winners for the 2008 Golden Bar Awards:

About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at http://www.diageo.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

2007 Golden Bar Awards

Diageo Honors America's Leading Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors at 4th Annual Golden Bar Awards in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV - (September 27, 2007) – Distributors of spirits, beer and wine from across the country celebrated the Fourth Annual Golden Bar Awards, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas last night.

In celebrating the company's 10th anniversary, Diageo, the world's leading spirits, beer and wine company, presented the Golden Bar Awards to honor distributors and brokers for their outstanding work in the marketplace the important role they play in their communities.

Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North America commended Diageo's distributors for their hard work and contributions to a very successful year in the industry. "We want to recognize the passion everyone here shares for this business and I am extremely proud to be a part of it," Menezes said. "Together we build great brands in the marketplace and without our exceptional distributors and brokers we would not be able to achieve all that we have in this competitive and challenging environment."

The Golden Bar Awards recognize distributors and brokers for performance across Diageo spirits, beer and wine brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieau Vineyard. Awards are also given for Innovation Launches, Control states and Distributor of the Year.

Also featured in the program were Corporate Citizen Excellence Awards extended to The Charmer Sunbelt Group in the wine and spirits category, DBI Distributing of California in the beer category and to Harvey Chaplin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Wine and Spirits of America, in recognition of his significant contributions to the industry.

"Harvey has made an exceptional difference in his community and our industry this year," said Larry Schwartz, President of US Spirits, Diageo North America. "His unwavering dedication to philanthropy, including committing the company's foundation to match contributions made by employees to the American Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, challenges our industry to continue our long heritage of giving back."

In total, 32 statuettes made of 24 carat gold were awarded to distributors. Each Golden Bar statuette weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar®, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Below are the categories and winners for the 2007 Golden Bar Awards.

Photographs available upon request

About Diageo

Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at .

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

2006 Golden Bar Awards

Diageo Presents Third Annual Golden Bar Awards at the USS Intrepid - Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors Honored

Norwalk, CT – July 17, 2006 – Spirits, wine and beer distributors from across the country boarded the historic USS Intrepid in New York City's Hudson River last Thursday evening for the Third Annual Golden Bar Awards, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards.

The Golden Bar Awards, presented by Diageo, the world's leading spirits, beer and wine company, honors distributors and brokers whose passion for the business and enterprising spirit set the standard for the industry over the past year.

Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North America, thanked all of Diageo's distributors, recognizing their "untold examples of achievement and excellence." Menezes saluted the audience citing them all as "leaders in this industry and in your communities."

The Golden Bar Awards recognize distributors and brokers for performance across brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieau Vineyard. Awards are also given for Corporate Citizenship, Control states and Distributor of the Year. This year, Diageo also recognized distributors for their performance over three years for beer, wine and spirits.

For the first time ever, the program also featured a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing the immense contribution made to the industry by Juan Francisco Beckmann Vidal, President Jose Cuervo & Company.

"Juan's vision, keen business acumen, love of people and incredible passion for growth are behind his success," said Menezes. "He has transformed Jose Cuervo into the world's most acclaimed tequila."

In total 27 statuettes made of 24 carat gold were awarded to distributors. Each Golden Bar statuette weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar®, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The aircraft carrier Intrepid helped form the backbone of the United States Navy and its commitment to securing peace and freedom during World War II. The ship was a fitting location given the rich history shared by distributors and Diageo brands alike.

The evening's festivities concluded with an awe-inspiring fireworks display that illuminated the New York City skies.

Below are the categories and winners for the 2006 Golden Bar Awards.

Photographs available upon request

About Diageo
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 markets around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

2005 Golden Bar Awards

Diageo Presents 2nd Annual Golden Bar Awards on Ellis Island - Achievements of Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors Celebrated

NORWALK, CT – July 20, 2005 – Spirits, beer and wine distributors from across the country embarked on a journey from Manhattan to Ellis Island on Thursday evening for the Second Annual Golden Bar Awards, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards.

Diageo, the world's leading spirits, beer and wine company, honored its distributors for their outstanding performance in the marketplace as well as for the roles they play in their communities.

The Diageo Golden Bar Awards took place on historic Ellis Island, which served as a gateway to American soil many years ago – a fitting location given the rich history shared by distributors and Diageo brands alike. Diageo awarded 27 statuettes made of 24 carat gold to distributors. Each Golden Bar Award weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar®, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North America, recognized distributors for delivering remarkable volume and sales growth. He thanked all of Diageo's distributors, saying "Without your consummate professionalism, ability to forge new and profitable relationships, and many other accomplishments in bringing the Diageo family of brands to market, we simply would not be the best in the business. On behalf of all our brands, I thank you."

The evening's festivities concluded with an awe-inspiring fireworks display in New York Harbor that illuminated the night sky and the nearby Statue of Liberty.

This year's Golden Bar awards went to the distributors whose passion for the business and enterprising spirit set the standard for the industry over the past year. Below are the categories and winners for the 2005 Golden Bar Awards.

Winners of 2005 Golden Bar Awards:

Photographs available upon request

About Diageo
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 markets around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

2004 Golden Bar Awards

Diageo Presents Golden Bar Awards - and Seinfeld - to Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors

CHICAGO (July 28, 2004) – Spirits, beer and wine distributors from across the country walked down the red carpet and received the equivalent of the Academy Awards from Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks company, for outstanding performance in the marketplace as well as for the roles they play in their local communities.

The inaugural "Diageo Golden Bar Awards," which included a surprise performance by comic superstar Jerry Seinfeld, carried all the grandeur and celebrity of a Hollywood evening. More than 20 distributors received a 24K gold award which weighs 8 pounds, stands more than a foot tall and was produced by R.S. Owens -- the same company that created the Oscar(R), given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ivan Menezes, Diageo North America President and CEO, told distributors, "You are truly an invaluable part of our business. Without your extraordinary accomplishments in bringing all of our brands to market -- whether from Diageo Guinness USA, Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, or Diageo North America Spirits -- we quite literally would have no business."

Menezes credited distributors for Diageo's meteoric rise as the market-leading spirits, beer and wine company. "Our distributors are the ones in the bars, restaurants, shops and stores in every market, every day, building great businesses with our retail customers and delivering tremendous volume and sales growth," Menezes said.

"Just as the Oscars represent excellence in cinematic achievement, our twenty Golden Bar winners are the very best -- their outstanding performance matches the passion they bring to the business," he added.

The following lists the categories and winners for 2004 Golden Bar Awards.

About Diageo
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 markets around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at http://www.diageo.com/.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.