The maker of Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whiskey confirmed that it had received an inquiry from the SEC regarding its distribution in the United States, the Journal reported.
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Drinks giant Diageo is being investigated by the US over accusations it has artificially boosted its sales figures.
The SEC has asked the company to provide more information on the allegations.
Sending more product to distributors than they had ordered could potentially have allowed Diageo to report increased sales and shipments data, according to regulators.
Diageo’s chief executive Ivan Menezes told analysts earlier this year that Diageo has been reducing its distributor inventories in order to “get better visibility on customer depletions”. The SEC declined to comment.
The US accounts for a third of the UK-based company’s sales and 45% of its profits, with Diageo holding a 20% share of the North American spirits market.
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Last month, Diageo’s stock jumped 7 per cent on reports that Brazil’s richest man, billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann, and his partners in private equity firm 3G Capital were weighing up a bid for the firm valued at £47billion.
