Print this pageThe history of Diageo and its brands
1608 Licence granted to Bushmills area of County Antrim, Ireland
1749 Johnson & Justerini, the original company that became Justerini & Brooks in 1831, is founded
1758 José Antonio Cuervo produces tequila on local land in Mexico granted to him by the King of Spain
1759 Arthur Guinness (above) signs a 9,000 year lease on a disused brewery at St. James’s Gate, Dublin
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1820 John Walker’s grocery business opens in Kilmarnock, Scotland
1830 Charles Tanqueray opens a gin distillery in London
1840 Pimm’s originates in an oyster
bar in Poultry Street, London, owned
by James Pimm (above)
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1860 PA Smirnoff opens distillery in Russia and begins making his own vodka
1886 Guinness becomes first major brewery to be incorporated as a public company on the London Stock Exchange.During this time it is the largest brewery in the world with an annual production of 1.2 million barrels
PA Smirnoff is named Purveyor to the Imperial Russian Court (above)
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1908 Tom Browne draws the first Johnnie Walker Striding Man figure (above)
1909 John Walker & Sons introduces Johnnie Walker Black Label and Johnnie Walker Red Label
1931 J&B Rare launched
1932 Sir Alexander Walker creates Swing, a unique bottle designed for travel by ocean liner
1939 Crown Royal created to celebrate the historic visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada. Special Reserve introduced in 1991 and XR created in 2005
1959 Guinness Draught is launched in Great Britain as Guinness celebrates its bicentenary
1962 Smirnoff appears in its first James Bond movie ‘Dr No’
1974 Launch of Baileys, widely regarded as the industry’s most successful product launch ever (above)
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1983 Launch of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum. 1996 Captain Morgan’s Parrot Bay launched
1988 The first ‘widget’beer, Guinness
Draught in Cans, is launched.Three
years later it wins The Queen’s Award
for Technological Achievement
1989 Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin,Oban and Talisker become the six Classic Malts (above)
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1992 Creation of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, using some of the rarest and most expensive whiskies. In 2006 an ultra premium Johnnie Walker Blue Label called King George V is introduced (above)
1992 Guinness Irish Pub Concept is launched to promote authentic Irish pubs overseas. Today almost 2,000 exist in about 50 countries
1995 Johnnie Walker Gold Label launched
1997 Merger of Guinness and GrandMet to form Diageo (above)
1998 Launch of Bulleit bourbon
Launch of Guinness Draught
Extra Cold
1999 ‘Keep Walking,’ the first global advertising campaign for Johnnie Walker, introduced
2000 Guinness ‘Surfer’ advert voted
best television commercial of all
time in a UK poll conducted by
The Sunday Times and Channel 4
Launch of Tanqueray No.TEN
2001 Diageo acquires brands including Captain Morgan, Crown Royal and Sterling Vineyards from The Seagram Company Ltd
2003 Launch of Cîroc vodka
2005 Johnnie Walker begins Grand Prix sponsorship of Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Acquisition of Bushmills Irish whiskey (above) and The Chalone Wine Group
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2006 Smirnoff is the world’s best selling premium spirit at over 23 million cases annually and is featured in the James Bond movie, ‘Casino Royale’
Baileys flavours, mint chocolate and caramel, launch
2007 Johnnie Walker reaches 15 million case sales annually and becomes the third best selling premium spirit in the world
Diageo announces £100 million scotch whisky investment (above)