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Sales of Murphy’s Irish Stout up 632% as Guinness stock dwindles

Guinness was famously hard to get hold of over the Christmas period, leading one competitor to enjoy an unprecedented sales hike.

Instagram @murphysstout

Sales of Murphy’s Irish Stout shot up by 632% in bars and pubs during the Christmas 2024 period, as drinkers looked for an alternative to Guinness.

In December, Guinness owner Diageo took the decision to limit the amount of stock that UK pubs could buy due to a shortage of Guinness, which it blamed on “unprecedented demand”.

Some pubs such as the Old Ivy House, in Clerkenwell, London, even introduced Guinness ‘ration cards’, which allowed punters to buy a pint of the black stuff, but only if they had purchased two other drinks first.

With Guinness being unusually hard to get hold of over Christmas, consumers began to look elsewhere.

According to data released today by Heineken UK, its own Murphy’s Irish Stout brand saw a total increase in draught sales of 176% compared to the same period in 2023.

Instagram @murphysstout

Good things come to those waiting

Following the sales boom, Heineken UK said Murphy’s is “well placed to build on this growth in 2025, delivering excitement for UK consumers and sales for UK operators”.

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Murphy’s has been quick to capitalise on Guinness’ availability issues, launching an interactive ‘Map o’ Murphy’s’ showing all the venues in which drinkers can find a pint of its stout. Consumers can click on the link, and Google Maps will direct them to the nearest pub serving Murphy’s on tap.

The marketing move, called “Good things come to those waiting” pokes fun at Guinness’ famous slogan “Good things come to those who wait”.

Guinness 0.0

However, while Guinness’ flagship brand may have been challenging to find over the Christmas period, the situation is unlikely to dent overall sales for the brand as its alcohol-free version – Guinness 0.0 – is soaring.

The booze-free stout has proved so successful that Diageo has committed to almost doubling its St. James’s Gate site’s production of Guinness 0.0 to 176 million pints per year. Diageo announced the €30m investment in October last year, while also revealing plans to get Guinness 0.0 into more UK pubs and football ground on draught.

This year The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin also celebrates 25 years of operations with its own 12-month campaign, ‘Alive in 25′, which aims to bring the history of Guinness alive through cultural events and community initiatives. The ‘year-long celebration’ will “reflect the vibrancy and dynamism of our customers, community, and culture,” said Catherine Toolan, managing director of Diageo Irish Brand Homes.

Around 1.65 million people visited The Guinness Storehouse in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year.

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One response to “Sales of Murphy’s Irish Stout up 632% as Guinness stock dwindles”

  1. Bob says:

    I used to import and distribute Murphys Stout nationally in Portugal. In blind tests 8 out of 10 drinkers chose Murphys! I love em both!

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