RESERVES of Guinness in Ireland are being raided to solve a shortage of the black stuff in the UK.
Pints held for Irish punters are being sent to Britain as emergency shipments as drinks bosses struggle to keep up with a surge in demand.
Diageo, the British multinational which owns Guinness, has also put supplies to North America on standby for possible diversion to the UK.
The company has put to use its ‘security stocks’, what it holds in place in case of a surge in demand.
These reserves have been depleted from one weeks’ worth to one day’s worth in order to meet the challenge.
A spokeswoman for Diageo told the Sunday Times: “This week, we will ship more Guinness to Britain than we did for this year’s March St Patrick’s Day but we still can’t keep up with demand.”
Pub owners have been blindsided recently by a massive increase in demand for creamy pints by younger drinkers, fuelled by social media.
While those who buy directly from Diageo, such as JD Wetherspoon and Greene King, have been able to manage with the uptick, others who purchase from wholesalers have found it more difficult to get their hands on supplies.
It was reported that some landlords have been using ration cards to let each customer get their sip of stout.
The Sunday Times reported figures on pub sales from the drinks industry consultancy CGA showed that overall October beer sales volumes fell by 0.5 per cent, but Guinness volumes actually rose by 20 per cent on the previous year.
Although Diageo heightened forecasts for expected demand for the end of the year and increased production, any extra produce had already been used by the end of November.
A spokesperson for Diageo thanked customers for their patience and said demand remained at “unprecedented levels”.
They added: “We are producing more Guinness today than we ever have in our 265-year history, and we continue to work closely with customers across our network to manage Guinness distribution as efficiently as possible, ensuring we maximise supply and minimise disruptions for pubs and retailers.”
A “phased replenishment” of Guinness stocks in the new year is planned so that the market can return to normal before the Six Nations, when another surge in demand is expected.
