'The world's most expensive Guinness' goes on sale at Cheltenham

‘The world’s most expensive Guinness’ goes on sale at Cheltenham at a price of £20 a pint… but it does come with a ‘premium Black Velvet’ twist

  • The Club Black Velvet is a 50-50 split of Guinness and English sparkling wine 
  • CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL TIPS – DAY ONE: All the best bets for Tuesday’s racing 
  • Click here for the latest Cheltenham Festival news, schedule and race results

The biggest event on the horse racing calendar has come around once more, but the Cheltenham Festival has drawn attention for the wrong reasons after a premium Guinness was put on sale for £20. 

The four-day festival of racing runs from Tuesday, March 14, to St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, March 17, with an estimated 220,000 pints of Guinness are set to be drunk at the Cheltenham Festival according to reports.  

As a result, more than 50,000 pints are anticipated per-day, but there looks to be a premium option available this year to those willing to brave the stunning price tag for a twist on the classic Irish drink. 

Rather than an average pint of Guinness, the Club Black Velvet – launched by Irish bookmakers Fitzdares – is a 50-50 split of the iconic Irish stout and English sparkling wine. 

But the bookmakers’ CEO admitted that the extravagant price of the beverage was a tongue-in-cheek nod to the constant criticisms of Guinness costs at the festival, claiming that the company’s price tag was a ‘rib’ at ‘complainers’.

The Club Black Velvet has gone on sale for a staggering £20 at the Cheltenham Festival

Fitzdares’ pricing was a reported ‘rib’ at the outcry over previous pricing according to CEO William Woodham

‘Every year there is more and more controversy around the cost of Guinness at the Cheltenham Festival and frankly we were bored of it,’ Fitzdares CEO William Woodham said.

‘So, to gently rib the complainers and celebrate recent political manoeuvres we have created the world’s most expensive – and finest – pint of the black stuff with a mix of premium English sparkling wine and Guinness brewed in Dublin.

‘Isn’t it the perfect way to celebrate free trade between our two great nations and the Windsor protocol? The Irish visitors to Cheltenham can afford it with their strong currency. Yours for £20.’

The beverage will be made available to those attending the festival at Fitzdares Club, as well as in sister venues in the Cotswolds and in London’s Belgravia. 

The Cheltenham Festival features a Guinness Village where punters can buy the iconic Irish stout

This year’s festival will also see a new feature at select bars, where fans can help themselves to help yourself Guinness and lager. 

However, even though customers will be invited to serve themselves their tipple of choice, the price for a pint of the Irish stout is set at £7.50 and a lager will cost punters £7.40. 

There was outcry just under a year ago at Aintree after the prices for drinks served at the Grand National were revealed. 

Draught beers ranged from £7-£7.20, while mixers were priced at £2.30 as many spectators even called for a boycott of the event, as per the Liverpool Echo. 

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