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NEW YORK, July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The country's leading spirits, wine and beer distributors were honored at the Fifth Annual Golden Bar Awards at the Museum of Natural History in New York City last night.

Diageo, the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company, hosts the Golden Bar Awards every year, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, to celebrate distributors and brokers from across the United States for their excellence in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities.

"Tonight, we honor all of our distributors for their hard work and commitment to building our brands. In this competitive environment, their great passion for this business has been critical to Diageo's success," said Ivan Menezes, President and CEO, Diageo North America.

The Golden Bar Awards recognize distributors and brokers from across Diageo's brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieau Vineyard. Awards are also given for Innovation Launches, Control states and Distributor of the Year.

In total, 32 statuettes made of 24 carat gold 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 2008 Golden Bar Awards:

  DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR

  Distributor of the Year - Spirits    Atlantic Wine & Spirits, a
                                       division of Empire Merchants LLC of
                                       Metro of New York
  Distributor of the Year - Wine       Atlantic Wine & Spirits, a division
                                       of Empire Merchants LLC of Metro of
                                       New York
  Distributor of the Year - Beer       Burke Distributing of Boston

  SPIRITS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

  Spirits Excellence Award - Smirnoff  Pacific Wine & Spirits of California
  Spirits Excellence Award - Baileys   Pinnacle Distributing of Colorado
  Spirits Excellence Award - Johnnie
                             Walker    Glazer's of Texas
  Spirits Excellence Award - Jose
                             Cuervo    Atlantic Wine & Spirits, a division
                                       of Empire Merchants LLC of Metro of
                                       New York
  Spirits Excellence Award - Captain
                             Morgan    Pacific Wine & Spirits of California
  Spirits Excellence Award - Crown
                             Royal     Glazer's of Texas
  Spirits Excellence Award - Tanqueray Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada
  Spirits Excellence Award - Reserve
                             Brands    Reliable Churchill of Maryland

  Control State Excellence Award       Southern Wine / Spirits West

  WINE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

  Wine Excellence Award - Beaulieu
                          Vineyard     United Distributors of Delaware
  Wine Excellence Award - Sterling
                          Vineyards    Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada
  Wine Excellence Award - Chalone
                          Vineyards    Washington Wholesale of Washington,
                                       D.C.
  Wine Excellence Award - Edna Valley  Vineyard Judge & Dolph of Illinois
  Wine Excellence Award - Acacia       Glazer's of Texas

  BEER EXCELLENCE AWARDS

  Beer Excellence Award - Guinness     Phoenix Beverages of New York
  Beer Excellence Award - Smithwick's  Chicago Beverage Systems
  Beer Excellence Award - Red Stripe   Matagrano Inc. of San Francisco
  Beer Excellence Awards - Progressive
  Adult Beverages                      Halo Distributing of Texas
                                       J&L of Georgia

  GOLDEN BAR CONSISTENCY AWARDS

  Golden Bar Consistency
   Award - Spirits                     National Wine & Spirits of Indiana
  Golden Bar Consistency Award - Wine  Pacific Wine & Spirits of California
  Golden Bar Consistency Award - Beer  City Beverage of Illinois

  INNOVATION LAUNCH AWARDS

  Innovation Launch Awards - Spirits   Georgia Crown Distributing
                                       United Liquors Ltd., Martignetti Cos.
                                       of Massachusetts
  Innovation Launch Award - Wine       Glazer's of Ohio
  Innovation Launch Award - Beer       Pine State Beverage of Maine

  NATIONAL ACCOUNTS EXECUTION EXCELLENCE AWARD

  National Accounts Execution
   Excellence Award                    Judge & Dolph of Illinois

  CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP AWARDS

  Corporate Citizenship
   Excellence Award - Spirits/Wines    Alliance Beverage Distributing Co. of
                                       Arizona
  Corporate Citizenship
   Excellence Award - Beer             United Distributors of Georgia


  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 http://www.diageo.com/.

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