It’s fantastic to see Guinness breathing life into our hospitality and tourism industries
– Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Brewing giant Diageo has revealed plans to create a Guinness-themed cultural hub and microbrewery in London, UK, with design by London-based agency, Hot Pickle.

Called Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard, the visitor attraction is set to open in London’s Covent Garden in Autumn 2023.

Located on a historic brewing site – ​​the Old Brewer's Yard was the site of beer brewing as far back as 1722 – the £73m development builds on the success of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland.

Covering ​​50,000sq ft, the venue will feature a microbrewery producing limited-edition beers and offering guests tours with Guinness beer specialists to taste and learn about the iconic stout, its storied history and the company's ambitions for the brand.

An event space and central covered courtyard will enable the hosting of events based around food, drink, the arts and special cultural occasions. It will also be open for use by the local community.

A Guinness store will sell rare items via collaborations and partnerships that are bespoke to the London experience.

There will also be a restaurant with an open-fire kitchen and 360-degrees glass rooftop space, similar to the one in Dublin, offering a "rotating cuisine" experience.

Brewer's Yard will become the southern UK hub of Diageo's award-winning Learning for Life Bartending and Hospitality Programme, with an ambition for over 100 London-based students to graduate from the ‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’ programme each year.

"This project demonstrates our confidence in London and the UK as a go-to destination for tourists and our commitment to the hospitality sector, which employs almost two million people in the UK," said Dayalan Nayager, MD of Diageo Great Britain.

"Guinness sales in Great Britain have grown by over 30 per cent in the last six months and 1 in every 10 pints sold in London is now a Guinness," he said.

The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, visited the site during the announcement of the project.

“This multi-million-pound investment is a crucial vote of confidence in our Capital," Sunak said.

"300 years after brewing the first beer in Old Brewer's Yard, it’s fantastic to see Guinness breathing life into our hospitality and tourism industries and creating more jobs and training opportunities in central London."

In 2021, Diageo opened the Johnnie Walker Princes Street visitor attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is part of a cycle of whisky-based visitor attractions throughout Scotland. The Jonnie Walker projects were delivered by the team at BRC Imagination Arts, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021.

Johnnie Walker visitor centre, designed by BRC, opens at Clynelish distillery

Scotland targets alco-tourism with £150m investment into Scotch Whisky projects

FEATURE: Attractions – Perfect Brew