Brown-Forman pauses production at Slane Irish whiskey distillery

[TITLE>Brown-Forman Suspends Production at Slane Irish Whiskey Distillery Amid Market Challenges]

Brown-Forman has temporarily suspended production at its Slane Irish Whiskey distillery located in County Meath, Ireland.

In a statement to Just Drinks, Slane confirmed: “This pause represents a planned adjustment to our operational schedules. Demand planning and production forecasting are critical components of our business operations, and it is standard practice to modify production levels in response to evolving market conditions.

The distillery emphasized that current inventory remains sufficient to meet consumer demand globally, stating: “We maintain a robust supply of maturing whiskey, ensuring there will be no disruption to Slane product availability for our customers worldwide.”

Following inquiries from Just Drinks regarding the timeline for resuming operations and potential workforce implications, a LinkedIn post from Slane employee Alan Buckley—shared by Robb Report—suggested the hiatus could extend for several years, with Buckley noting: “Following Brown-Forman’s recent decision to pause production at Slane Distillery for the next number of years, my role is unfortunately being made redundant.”

Originally established in 2009 by father-and-son team Henry and Alex Conyngham, the distillery was acquired by Brown-Forman in subscription to operate under the Slane brand.

The facility specializes in Triple Casked blended Irish whiskey. Recent Bord Bia data revealed a 5% decline in Irish whiskey export values to €930 million ($1.08 billion) in 2025, representing 45% of the nation’s total beverage exports.

Bord Bia attributed the downturn to challenging global conditions, particularly in the U.S. market, where tariffs implemented in August 2025 and a 12% weakening of the U.S. dollar significantly impacted trade performance.

Brown-Forman reported modest growth in its recent fiscal results, with whiskey net sales rising 2% year-over-year, though volume depletion declined 1% to 16.2 million nine-liter cases.

Source link