Cayman will enjoy a black-and-white Christmas after wholesalers beat a Guinness shortage and brought in enough of the world-famous stout to see the islands through the festive season and up to St Patrick’s Day.
Draught Guinness did not turn into drought Guinness because Cayman had to get its orders in early, and placed its requirements with the famous Dublin-based brewer in October.
Jarlath Sheridan, the manager of Fidel Murphy’s, Cayman’s only Irish pub, confirmed that the bar would not run out of Guinness, despite Cayman getting its supplies from Ireland, the same as the UK, which is rationing the beer in some places.
Sheridan, originally from Ireland’s County Wexford, said Jacques Scott, the George Town drinks wholesaler, had “done well” and got the order in before the shortage hit the UK.
“I’ve had a few fearful customers worried about it and asking questions, but we’re sorted for the holidays.
“Customers will not go without Guinness over Christmas and New Year – I guarantee it.”
He said, “It’s a full shipping container – I think there’s 180 to 200 kegs in there. That should see us safely through the New Year and up to St Patrick’s Day.
“I think Cayman’s relative isolation has been a bonus – had this been on order later, we might not have got it for a very long time.”
Sheridan added, “You have to have Guinness on St Patrick’s Day – we have been close to running out in the past and not having it on St Patrick’s Day, but Jacques Scott pulls it off – sometimes miraculously.”
Irish pubs in the UK face a Christmas crisis after the Guinness brewery in Ireland’s capital could not keep up with demand.
Owners, drinks multi-national Diageo, was forced to ration how much British pubs could buy because of “exceptional consumer demand” in the UK.
Some pubs have even resorted to “ration cards” – which means they can only get a pint of the black stuff after they have had two other drinks.
Two customers at Fidel’s welcomed the news that Guinness would continue to flow in Cayman.
Brian Fitzpatrick, also Irish, and friend Martin Dohnal, from another famous brewing nation, the Czech Republic, who both work in the hospitality industry, welcomed the news.
Dohnal, who said he was a connoisseur of fine beers, said, “Fidel’s is the only place to go to for Guinness – to have an Irish pub here brings a piece of that culture to Cayman.”
Fitzpatrick added, “I hope to be here for St Patrick’s Day and I’m pleased that Guinness will be here as well.”
Fin Wilson, the beverage director at Jacques Scott, said, “We order four months in advance here.
“Guinness has always been a problem around this time of year. Jarlath has enough ordered and we still have it on our shelves.”
A spokeswoman for London-based Diageo emphasised the problem was confined to the UK, and that it was hoped to restore normal supply levels by January.
She added, “We are grateful to all our customers for their engagement, collaboration, and patience over the past three weeks.
“We are producing more Guinness today than we ever have in our 265-year history, and we continue to work closely with customers across our network to manage Guinness distribution as efficiently as possible, ensuring we maximise supply and minimise disruptions for pubs, retailers, and consumers.”
It is not the first time Cayman has run out of Guinness – the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was none on island between May and December 2020.
And another Guinness shortage in 2008 sparked a tongue-in-cheek letter to the editor in the Compass demanding answers.
Related Videos
