Scandal is brewing in the British bar world, with liquor conglomerate Diego Diageo (maker of such familiar brands as J&B, Smirnoff and Guinness) apologizing to independent Scottish beermaker BrewDog for pressuring organizers to withhold their Bar Operator of the Year award at the very last minute. According to the Scotsman,

BrewDog, the Fraserburgh-based company which has gained a reputation for its handcrafted ales was voted top bar operator at a ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday. However, executives from Diageo refused to hand over the award – and tried to give it to another operator – even though BrewDog’s name was written on the trophy.

It was alleged that executives from the drinks giant pressured the British Institute of Innkeeping to withhold the award, saying the company would withdraw its sponsorship if BrewDog won.

According to BrewDog's own report, the British Institute of Innkeeping contacted them after the ceremony to confirm the fact that they had received a warning at the ceremony that if BrewDog won, Diageo would withdraw all sponsorship from subsequent events.

Read BrewDog's blog post about the issue, and the report by the Scotsman which includes Diageo's official apology for the incident.

Image via BrewDog, "Beer for Punks"

Please note that my original post misspelled Diageo's name a heroic total of 4 times, including in the headline. Mea culpa.