|
Brown-Forman
has announced a temporary halt in
production at its Glenglassaugh
Distillery amid difficulties facing the
Scotch whisky industry.
About a week ago,
social media was abuzz with claims that
Glenglassaugh Distillery was being shut
down by its owner, Brown-Forman. A
distillery employee suggested on
Instagram that the production staff had
been laid off, fuelling speculation that
the distillery was closing. This news
spread before any official announcement
from Brown-Forman, and given the recent
bankruptcy of Waterford Distillery in
Ireland, financial struggles at Mackmyra,
and Brown-Forman’s own large-scale
layoffs, the social media reports
quickly gained traction.
The fact is that Brown-Forman has
announced a temporary halt in production
at its Glenglassaugh Distillery amid
difficulties facing the Scotch whisky
industry.
Brown-Forman Director of External
Communications Elizabeth Conway said:
"Glenglassaugh Distillery is not
shutting down. We are implementing a
shared production model with BenRiach,
which will involve periods of production
alongside occasional silent seasons, as
has been the case traditionally. This
allows us to optimise resources and
expertise across both distilleries.
"This shared production model, and our
ongoing demand planning process,
resulted in a small number of
redundancies. We deeply value the
contributions of those impacted and are
committed to providing support to them
throughout this process.
"Our commitment to crafting exceptional
whiskies remains as strong as ever, and
we are grateful for the continued
support and enthusiasm of our customers
and markets worldwide."
Founded in 1875, the distillery closed
in 1986 before being revived by the
Scaent Group in 2008. It was later
acquired by BenRiach Distillery in 2013
and became part of Brown-Forman’s
portfolio in 2016.
The Glenglassaugh core range (at least
for now) will continue to include the
flagship Glenglassaugh 12 Year Old
Single Malt, plus the outstanding
Glenglassaugh Sandend
and
Glenglassaugh Portsoy
single malt whiskies which take their
names from the bay and village nearby the
distillery.
This decision to operate Glenglassaugh
in this way follows a recent
Brown-Forman financial statement which
revealed a 22% decline in returns from
the company’s non-American whiskey
portfolio. This downturn reflects a
broader sales slump affecting the global
whiskey market, including the Scotch
whisky industry. Then two weeks ago
Brown-Forman announced that they
would cut approximately 12% of its 5,400
global employees and shut down its
Louisville cooperage.
Glenglassaugh's production is currently
scheduled to resume by the end of this
year, though whether it will actually
restart in autumn or winter 2025 remains
to be seen.
I've always believed that Scotch single
malt whisky offers an affordable taste
of luxury. However, with prices soaring
in recent years—beyond what can be
justified by production costs alone—I
suspect much of the increase has been
driven by profiteering. Now, that greed
may be coming back to haunt the whisky
industry. Hopefully, the industry
recognises this and takes action before
we see more distilleries mothballed,
closed, or driven into bankruptcy.
Through this website, I speak with many
whisky enthusiasts, and a common
sentiment is that they can no longer
afford the quality of whisky they once
enjoyed. Many now seek out cheaper
alternatives or have stopped buying
whisky altogether.
If you want to support Glenglassaugh and
buy yourself a quality whisky you will find the current
Glenglassaugh whisky range available from
specialist online whisky shops such as
The Whisky Exchange
and
Master of Malt
|
