In 1997, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo. The merger created a global drinks group with beer, spirits, and major consumer brands. It marked the movement of historic brewery names into multinational drinks conglomerates.

Diageo's formation shows the endpoint of a long movement from local brewers to global brand ownership. For poetry education, it helps frame contemporary writing about commodified tradition, Irishness, Britishness, and the survival of local memory inside global capital.