For many months now, Guinness has been the most popular drink in Britain, now accounting for one in every nine pints pulled in the the UK. 

Earlier this week, a feature article in The New York Times delved into the reasons for its increasing popularity in the US where it is now the fastest-growing imported beer.

A combination of the increasingly busy Christmas period and the series of rugby internationals shown in UK pubs in recent weeks has resulted in high consumer demand.

With Diageo now having to manage distribution it has led to fears of a supply shortage for some UK pubs, something the brewer has downplayed.

"Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Britain," a spokesperson for Diageo told the Irish Examiner. 

We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible. 

Guinness distributed across Ireland and the UK is brewed at St James' Gate in Dublin. 

The company has moved to assure its customers in Ireland that supplies here will not be impacted. A spokesperson for Diageo Ireland said: 

As we move into the busy Christmas period, we will make all deliveries to our customers across the island of Ireland, as planned and without disruption. 

To meet the rising global demand, Diageo broke ground in the summer on its €200m new brewery in Newbridge, Co Kildare where it will produce lagers and ales including Rockshore, Harp, Hop House 13, Smithwick’s, Kilkenny, and Carlsberg. 

It will also free up capacity at St James’s Gate to increase the production of Guinness to meet global demand.

The popularity of Guinness outside Ireland is likely to benefit its Irish rivals. 

Reuters reported last month that a number of UK pubs have begun pushing Heineken's Murphy and Beamish stouts, both brewed in Cork.