Diageo fixes things

Diageo, makers of Guinness, Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Bailey's, Jose Cuervo, and Tanqueray, among many others, "fixed" the recent 2012 British Institute of Innkeeping Scotland Annual Awards.

Brewdog, the scrappy, creative "punk" craft brewer from Fraserburgh, Scotland (and Scotland's largest independent brewer), was expected to win the Bar Operator of the Year award. But it wasn't to be.

Brewdog blog wrote:However we were not announced as winners of the award. This disappointment was further compounded when one of the judges (seated at our table) told us in disbelief ‘this simply cannot be, the independent judging panel voted for BrewDog as clear winners of the award’.

Events took a further twist when the people who got given the award refused to accept it as it clearly had ‘BrewDog’ engraved on the trophy as winners.

Afterwards,

Kenny Mitchell, Chairman of the BII in Scotland and Chairman of the Award Committee wrote:We are all ashamed and embarrassed about what happened. The awards have to be an independent process and BrewDog were the clear winner’

‘Diageo (the main sponsor) approached us at the start of the meal and said under no circumstances could the award be given to BrewDog. They said if this happened they would pull their sponsorship from all future BII events and their representatives would not present any of the awards on the evening.’

We were as gobsmacked as you by Diageo’s behaviour. We made the wrong decision under extreme pressure. We were blackmailed and bullied by Diageo. We should have stuck to our guns and gave the award to BrewDog.‘

Followup to the controversy today:

Diageo Tweet wrote:'There was a serious misjudgement by Diageo staff at the awards dinner on Sunday evening in relation to the Bar Operator of the Year Award. We would like to apologise to BrewDog and to the British Institute of Innkeeping for this error of judgement.'

Links to the full story here, here, and here, among others.

I don't know why I am shocked, but even for an evil corporate empire like Diageo, this move seems particularly underhanded (not to mention totally immature). I wonder what they thought they would gain from doing this? Surely there was no way their tactics would go unnoticed, especially since the trophy was already engraved with Brewdog's name. I refuse to believe that some Diageo underlings at the ceremony pulled this crap on their own volition, as the company suggests. It had to have been ordered by someone higher up the chain of command.

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I still suspect they fixed the Spirited Awards last year - Eau de Vie* best new cocktail bar in the world? Against PKNY and Dram?? I think not...


*Diageo bar in Sydney

d4v3 wrote:I don't know why I am shocked, but even for an evil corporate empire like Diageo, this move seems particularly underhanded (not to mention totally immature). I wonder what they thought they would gain from doing this? Surely there was no way their tactics would go unnoticed, especially since the trophy was already engraved with Brewdog's name. I refuse to believe that some Diageo underlings at the ceremony pulled this crap on their own volition, as the company suggests. It had to have been ordered by someone higher up the chain of command.

I'm not surprised or shocked - it's a corporation, after all. I AM surprised that BII chose to cave so easily - I think it shows them in a much worse light. "Money or ethics?" Hmmm, we choose the money!