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Irish
Distillers who are very reliant on the
US marketplace for whiskey sales is set
to pause whiskey production at its
massive Midleton distillery from April
until the summer 2025, a decision which
has been taken in light of the current
supply and demand.
Pernod Ricard’s
Irish Distillers is set to pause whiskey
production at its Midleton Distillery in
County Cork, Ireland. The distillery,
known for crafting iconic Irish whiskeys
like Jameson, Redbreast, Midleton Very
Rare, Method and Madness, Spot and
Powers, will pause operations from April
until the summer 2025.
Described as a routine review, the
decision to pause whiskey production at
Midleton comes as other major spirits
producers, such as Diageo and
Brown-Forman, are also reducing
operations due to global supply
exceeding demand.
Midleton Distillery typically pauses
production for one month each year for
essential maintenance and according to
Irish Distillers, the extended pause in
production this year will allow for a
"routine, periodic review."
A spokesperson for Irish Distillers
said: "The distillery will temporarily
pause production in early April and will
recommence in the summer to support the
sustainable global growth of its
portfolio of Irish whiskeys." They added
that the company remains "fully
committed" to Midleton’s production,
with all stakeholders informed to enable
forward business planning.
This decision reflects broader trends in
the whisky industry. Diageo has paused
distilling and barrel-filling at its
Kentucky facility until June, while
Brown-Forman introduced a shared
production model for two of its Scottish
distilleries earlier this year.
Additionally, Bushmills has scaled back
production, and smaller producers like
Waterford Whisky and Blackwater
Distillery have encountered financial
difficulties.
In addition to pausing production,
Pernod Ricard has postponed the
completion of its €250 million Midleton
expansion, which was intended to
increase future output which is clearly
not required in the current market
conditions.
Despite Irish whiskey's strong historic
growth, the slowdown reflects shifting
market dynamics. The Irish Whiskey
Association reported exports surpassing
€1 billion in 2024, a 13% year-on-year
increase, with total sales reaching 15.5
million cases in 2023. However, the
recent production pauses across major
spirits firms indicate that supply is
now outpacing demand in all three major
whisky-producing nations.
The demand for whisky has historically
went up and down over the years but
never has there been a time when it has
been so popular and it looks like
recently re-elected American President
Donald Trump has burst the whisky bubble
or at least deflated it while he is in
office. Mean time his tariffs are simply
going to impact jobs in farming (barley
and grain production), barrel
production, whisky production and
packaging plants on both sides of the
Atlantic and of course it will impact
the consumer. Overall the US government
will likely collect less tax on Irish,
Scotch and Canadian whiskies as they
wouldn't be worth exporting to the US.
You really have to question the
intelligence behind Trumps trade
policies, they do not appear to benefit
anyone.
If you enjoy an Irish whiskey you will find
Irish Distillers current portfolio
including Jameson, Redbreast, Midleton
Very Rare, Method and Madness, Spot and
Powers current
whiskey ranges available from specialist online whisky
shops such as
The Whisky Exchange
and
Master of Malt
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