Diageo Plc reported on Thursday a better than expected half-year results, with sales rising 15% to £6.42bn from £5.61bn a year ago.

The company said that profits rose 8% to £1.51bn from last year’s £1.41bn. The spirits maker noted that a 17% drop in the value of the British pound following Brexit vote had a positive impact on earnings, adding around £850m ($1.07bn) to net sales. On organic basis (stripping out the effects of currency movement on revenue and profits), sales rose 4.4% while operating profits grew 4.4%.