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Irish Distillers joins Diageo in production pause
Pernod Ricard’s Irish whiskey arm will halt production at Midleton Distillery in County Cork from April until summer.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Irish Distillers can confirm that Midleton Distillery is adjusting its production schedule for a routine, periodic review.
“This review demonstrates our ability to be agile with our production cycles and has been enabled through improved operational efficiency and state-of-the-art production facilities.
“The distillery will temporarily pause production in early April 2025 and will recommence in the summer to support the sustainable global growth of its portfolio of Irish whiskeys.
“We remain fully committed to the production of Irish whiskey at Midleton Distillery and have communicated this adjustment to our staff, suppliers, customers and contractors to enable forward business planning.”
The move means Pernod Ricard has joined Diageo and Brown-Forman in pausing whisky production, with Diageo doing so at one of its Kentucky distilleries yesterday (7 March), and Brown-Forman mothballing Scotch distillery Glenglassaugh earlier this year.
Although both Pernod Ricard and Diageo cited an increase in production efficiency as the reason for the halt, the pauses seem to suggest supply is exceeding demand across spirits firms in all three major whisky nations.
Irish Distillers hopes to lead ultra-premium whiskey growth around the world, according to its international marketing director Joao Rozario. The arm is led by Nodjame Fouad, who took on the role in 2022.
The pause hasn’t stopped Irish Distillers’ brand Jameson from releasing new expressions and launching partnerships.
Jameson, the world’s biggest Irish whiskey brand, saw its volumes rise by 3% but net sales were flat during the first half of Pernod Ricard’s 2025 financial year (July-December 2024).
Ireland’s whiskey exports surpassed €1 billion (US$1.04bn) in 2024.
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