Johnnie Walker maker Diageo sees first sales drop since the pandemic—but Guinness and ready-made cocktails save the day

a bartender serving glasses of Guinness (Credit: Artur Widak—NurPhoto/Getty Images)

People aren’t drinking as much as they used to. And no one knows that better than Diageo, the alcohol giant behind Johnnie Walker, Don Julio and Guinness.

The London-headquartered company saw its net sales decline for the first time since COVID-19, down 1.4% to $20.3 billion in the 12 months to June compared to the same period a year earlier.