I can only speak for the version that is sold in Canada, but I started liking Guiness a few years ago, when my primary beer was Busch. Nowadays, to my palate, Guiness just does not compare favorably at all to most craft stout offerings, or indeed, my own home versions. My wife says the same—the only kind of beer she will drink is stout, but if the only option is Guiness, she’s just going to pass on the beer altogether.
I find Guiness to be really thin and dull, but that is probably just a matter of taste; I’m not a huge fan of dry stouts.
It’s weird, because I only drink the driest wines and ciders, I drink my coffee and tea black, I eat plain yogurt, I buy unsweetened apple sauce, I don’t ever put sugar on anything… but for some reason, a generous dose of malty sweetness is the ticket for me when it comes to stouts.