THE potent £24 billion commercial cocktail concocted by international drinks' giants Grand Metropolitan and Guinness, respectively the world's largest and third largest spirit groups, met predictable opposition from competitors. Canadian spirits group Seagram, Grand Met's primary competitor, says it will vigorously oppose the new GMG Brands conglomerate in representations to competition authorities around the globe. A spokesman said the new group would control half of the global market for Scotch whisky, posing fundamental antitrust problems.

Guinness, whose "Guinness is good for you" slogan is the most famous word combination in the history of advertising, has attracted criticism for a perceived drop in aesthetic standards in recent advertising campaigns. In the mid 1990s Dutch actor Ruger Hauter, of "Blade Runner" fame, was used to promote the dark brew in an advertising campaign. Unfortunately Hauter is allergic to Guinness and allegedly had to spit out each sip between takes. Whether antitrust authorities find the proposed new alliance equally unpalatable has yet to be determined.