Overview: Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh has suspended whisky production following a broader downturn within the Scotch sector. Managing Director Rob Carpenter confirmed that while operations are paused, the business remains active and not closing.
The Full Story
Holyrood’s managing director Rob Carpenter told Just Drinks: “The Scotch whisky industry is facing challenging times at the moment, with many distilleries reducing or pausing production.” At Holyrood we have also taken the decision to pause production of our whisky for the time being, but this does not mean the business is closing. Carpenter said the company had just launched a whisky called Smoulder, and that it planned on releasing more products, “with the stock currently maturing in our warehouses”.
Our Brand Home remains open for visitors, and whilst we are not in production, they can still join us for distillery tours and tastings,” Carpenter said. Gin, rum and vodka are also sold by the business. It is unclear if production of those spirits has also been paused.
The Scotch industry had seen its exports hit by US tariffs. Data from trade body The Scotch Whisky Association in February showed the value of exports dropped 0.6% but declined 4.3% in volume in 2025. Volumes in the year to the US decreased more than 9%, affected by Trump tariffs on UK exports. The value of sales to the US were down 4% in the period at £933m ($1.1bn).
Production pauses have been brought in across multiple large-scale Scotch, Irish and Bourbon whisk(e)y distilleries over the past 18 months. Brown-Forman announced a pause in production at Ireland’s Slane whiskey distillery in June, while Suntory halted production at its Jim Beam distillery towards the end of last year. Last November, Diageo also halted production at its Roseisle Maltings site in north-east Scotland as part of its efforts “to balance capacity against current demand”.
What This Means
The Scotch whisky industry is facing challenging times at the moment, with many distilleries reducing or pausing production. In July, the US removed its tariffs on UK whiskies, including Scotch and those from Northern Ireland. The Scotch Whisky Association data indicates that despite tariff removals, export values and volumes remain under pressure in 2025.
Consumer Takeaway
Visitors can still join Holyrood for distillery tours and tastings at the Brand Home while production is paused. The business has confirmed it is not closing and maintains stock maturing in warehouses for future releases. Gin, rum and vodka are also sold by the business, though it is unclear if production of those spirits has also been paused.
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