A spike in sales of Guinness has left pub landlords fearing supplies could run out ahead of Christmas.
Limits have been imposed on how many kegs of the popular stout pub landlords can receive amid a surge in demand.
Supplies are said to have been stretched due to colder weather and four weekends of rugby union internationals last month.
Demand has also been fuelled by so-called “Guinnfluencers”, such as Kim Kardashian, who have shared their taste for the drink on social media.
Kardashian was photographed holding a pint of Guinness and shot glass filled with the beverage during a visit to a London pub in March last year.
Among women, sales have jumped by 24%, according to Debra Crew, chief executive of drinks giant, Diageo.
Scots singer, Lewis Capaldi, and US actor, Jason Momoa, have been used to promote Guinness as Diageo looks to expand the drink’s appeal.
Sales of Guinness have bucked the downward trend for beer drinking seen between July and October, with the volume of the black beverage pulled from kegs up by over a fifth, according to data from research firm, CGA, cited by the BBC.
An email from one pub chain to pub landlords said it expected to hear reports suggesting Diageo is experiencing issues with the supply of Guinness, according to The Times.
The company is reported by the same publication as warning: “We are managing this situation carefully and while regular deliveries of Guinness will take place through December we have had to place stock on allocation for you. Quantities available for order may be limited through the festive season.”
A publican reportedly said competitors have been “panic-buying” in readiness for Christmas, adding to the pressures on supply.
Diageo’s spokesman said: “Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Great Britain.
“We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”
The company has ploughed more than £160million into a new brewery in County Kildare to keep pace with growing demand for their draught products in recent years.
Its Dublin brewery has seen a £20m investment to cater to demand for a non-alcoholic version of the black stuff, Guinness 0.0.
