The Century Council to Receive Charitable Donation from Crown Royal(R) to Honor Sprint Cup Victory by NASCAR Driver Jamie McMurray

November 6, 2009

Instead of pouring champagne in victory lane, primary sponsor will cut a check if driver can repeat win this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway

NORWALK, Conn., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When all the dust settled at Talladega Superspeedway, there was only one king in victory lane: NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray. To commemorate McMurray's third career victory, The Crown Royal Company, which is a subsidiary of Diageo plc (NYSE: DEO), and primary sponsor of the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, will make a $10,000 donation to The Century Council in McMurray's name. Should the Roush Fenway driver go back-to-back and hold off the rest of the field to capture another win this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Crown Royal will pledge an additional $50,000 in an effort to raise awareness for drinking responsibly.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091106/NY06761LOGO)

As the official spirit of the No. 26 car, Crown Royal wants to take the lead in drumming up excitement for NASCAR fans, and reminding them of the importance of responsible drinking. The Century Council is a charitable organization that along with Diageo - its leading contributor - and Crown Royal, is committed to eliminating drunk driving and promoting responsible decision-making as it pertains to consuming beverage alcohol.

After rolling off a third place finish in Texas last year, Crown Royal is confident that its driver will bring home the trophy.

"Jaime's Talladega win has provided the perfect opportunity to congratulate him and the team, as well as give them added incentive to support such a great cause if they repeat the victory," said Guy Smith, Executive Vice President, Diageo and Crown Royal. "When a NASCAR driver celebrates a triumphant finish at the podium, fans will notice they celebrate with a bottle of champagne. This time, the celebration will be with Crown Royal, and we'll be writing a $50,000 check."

In addition to the donation to The Century Council, Crown Royal provided the entire No. 26 team and McMurray with embroidered Crown Royal bags with a congratulatory message.

About Crown Royal Canadian Whisky

Crown Royal Canadian whisky is the number one selling Canadian whisky brand in the US by value and has a tradition as long and distinctive as its taste. Specially blended to commemorate a grand tour of Canada made by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 1939, Crown Royal Canadian whisky's smooth, elegant style reflects its aristocratic origins and is considered the epitome of Canadian whisky. For the fourth consecutive year, the Crown Royal Company is the primary sponsor of the No. 26 Roush Fenway Ford Fusion driven by Jamie McMurray. For more information visit www.crownroyal.com.

It's about quality, not quantity.

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. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.

About The Century Council

The Century Council is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking and is funded by the following distillers: Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc.; Brown-Forman; Constellation Brands, Inc.; DIAGEO; Hood River Distillers, Inc.; and Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and chaired by Susan Molinari, The Century Council is a leader in the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision making regarding beverage alcohol. The Century Council develops and implements innovative programs and public awareness campaigns and promotes action through strategic partnerships. Established in 1991, The Century Council`s initiatives are highlighted on its website at www.centurycouncil.org.

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR's largest team operating nine motorsports teams. Five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; three in the Nationwide Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Ragan, Erik Darnell, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Colin Braun; and one in the Camping World Truck Series with Braun. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

    Contacts:   Gillian Cook                    Nicole Anastasi
                Diageo                          Taylor PR
                646 223 2326                    704.796.9992
                gillian.cook@diageo.com         nanastasi@taylorpr.com

SOURCE Diageo