Diageo Honors America's Leading Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors at 7th Annual Golden Bar Awards in New York

NEW YORK, July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --  Diageo, the world's leading premium spirits, wine and beer company, honored spirits, wine and beer distributors at the Seventh Annual Golden Bar Awards at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Monday night.

The Golden Bar Awards, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, celebrates distributors and brokers from across the United States for their excellence in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities.

Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North America commended Diageo's distributors for their hard work and contributions to a very successful year in the industry, despite a difficult environment, remarking, "Tonight, we honor and applaud the achievements of the best of the best among us. What makes our winners truly spectacular is that they show all of us what we can do when we are at our best – even under challenging conditions."

Larry Schwartz, Diageo USA President, also commented on the importance of execution in the current market. "Looking at the past year, we have all navigated through the economic challenges together, as a team, and emerged stronger.  Tonight is a night to celebrate our combined strengths and absolute resolve, and to reiterate our commitment to this wonderful business."  

The Golden Bar Awards recognize the efforts of distributors and brokers that represent Diageo's spirits, beer and wine brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieau Vineyard. Awards are also given for Innovation Launches, Control States, Three-Year Consistency, and Distributor of the Year.  A special Platinum Bar Award was given for Advancing Responsible Drinking in the spirits, beer and wine categories.

In total 34 statuettes, 32 made with 24 carat gold, and two made with platinum, were awarded to distributors. Each Golden Bar statuette weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall, and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar(R), presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Below are the categories and winners for the 2010 Golden Bar Awards:

About Diageo

Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).

For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Diageo