June 16, 2016 – Country music legend Merle Haggard held the Guinness World Record for buying the biggest round of drinks since March 21, 1983 when he bought his fans 5,095 one-ounce drinks at a cost of $12,737.50. This happened at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, which claimed to be the biggest honky-tonk in the world. He was celebrating his new hit C.C. Waterback, an ode to a shot of Canadian Club with a water chaser. As the grateful owner, Billy Bob Barnett presented the tab, he offered to buy Merle Haggard a drink, which was accepted.

However, there’s a new record just set by a U.K. brewery to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday. Box Steam Brewery bought 412 drinks at the Cross Guns pub in Wiltshire on Saturday, June 11. They base their claim on gallons consumed. Haggard’s largess amounted to 39.8 US gallons or 33.1 imperial gallons, the British measurement. Box Steam Brewery’s buy amounted to 283 pints or 35.4 imperial gallons.

Well, we’ll stand by Mr. Haggard and we hope Guinness World Records do too. The Brits can claim the biggest round of beers but Merle Haggard bought for 5,095 people compared with 412 and obviously the cost was much greater. Box Steam didn’t release the cost of their beer.

The generous Merle Haggard died April 6, 2016 at age 79.