Brown-Forman suspends Slane distillery production amid Irish whiskey export slump
The parent company cites market alignment, but employee disclosures suggest a multi-year halt and redundancies as Irish whiskey exports fall 5% in 2025.
Brown-Forman has halted production at its Slane Irish Whiskey distillery in County Meath, Ireland, characterising the move as a planned adjustment to operational schedules. The company stated that demand planning and production forecasting are critical components of its business, necessitating adjustments to align with prevailing market conditions. Brown-Forman maintained that a robust supply of maturing whiskey remains in place, ensuring no interruption to product availability for consumers globally.
Despite the corporate assurance of stable supply, conflicting information has emerged regarding the duration of the suspension and its impact on the workforce. A LinkedIn post by Slane employee Alan Buckley, shared by the Robb Report, indicates that the production pause may extend for several years. Buckley disclosed that his role is being made redundant as a result of the decision, raising immediate concerns about job security at the facility.
Just Drinks has contacted both Brown-Forman and Slane to seek confirmation on the expected timeline for resuming production and to clarify whether further redundancies are anticipated. The inquiry comes as the distillery navigates a complex trading environment, with the company’s recent full-year results showing modest growth in net sales but a slight decline in depletions.
The operational shift occurs against a backdrop of weakening demand for Irish whiskey, particularly in the United States. Data from the Irish food-and-drinks state agency, Bord Bia, revealed that the value of Irish whiskey export sales fell by 5% in 2025, reaching €930m ($1.08bn). Exports accounted for 45% of total drinks shipments from Ireland that year, underscoring the sector's significance to the national economy.
Bord Bia attributed the decline to a challenging trading climate exacerbated by a 12% devaluation of the US dollar and inventory build-ups in late 2024 and early 2025. These stockpiles were accumulated in anticipation of tariffs implemented in August 2025, which subsequently made trading into the US market more difficult. Brown-Forman’s own full-year results, issued in March, reported a 1% organic growth in whiskey net sales, while depletions fell by 1% to 16.2 million nine-litre cases.
Slane, originally founded in 2009 by Henry and Alex Conyngham, was acquired by Brown-Forman in 2015 when it operated as Slane Castle Irish Whiskey. The distillery is best known for its Triple Casked blended Irish whiskey. The current pause marks a significant deviation from the site’s steady output, reflecting the broader pressures facing the Irish spirits industry as it adjusts to shifting currency values and trade policies.
