Killarney Brewing & Distilling enters examinership to save jobs
Ireland-based Killarney Brewing & Distilling Company has hired an interim examiner to safeguard the business after it experienced a whiskey supply gut and surging costs.
Last week (16 April), Killarney Brewing & Distilling (KBD) filed a petition seeking examinership in Ireland’s High Court.
Under Irish law, examinership is a process where a company facing financial difficulties can obtain court protection to help the business survive.
KBD, based in County Kerry, has appointed James Anderson, partner at Deloitte Ireland as its interim examiner, following the petition filing.
In a statement provided by Deloitte, KBD noted that it had faced “unprecedented challenges during and following the Covid-19 pandemic”.
The statement continued: “These included surging raw material costs, significant supply chain disruptions, delays in opening the Fossa distillery, whiskey inventory supply gluts, and broader geopolitical uncertainties. Collectively, these issues have placed significant pressure on the business and negatively impacted both revenue and profitability.”
US investor pulls out
The company noted that it had reached a preliminary agreement to merge with a US-based strategic partner earlier this year, however the unnamed partner recently decided not to move forward with the deal.
The directors of KBD believe the examinership process provides the “most viable path to secure the company’s future by attracting new investment from experienced industry partners”.
The company also hopes that this process will “safeguard employment, stabilise operations in the medium to long term and secure a sustainable future”.
KBD said it was “fully committed to working closely with the examiner to achieve the best possible outcome for all stakeholders”.
The business operates a brewery, distillery and visitor centre with a gift shop and a bar and restaurant in one site, and a separate taproom in the town of Killarney.
The taproom was opened in 2015, followed by the opening of the combined brewery, distillery and visitor centre in Fossa, near Killarney, in 2022.
KBD continues to offer brewery tours, distillery tours and a gin school experience at the Fossa site.
The brand’s portfolio includes a range of beers, a gin and a blended Irish whiskey, which was launched in Ireland and Chicago in 2024. According to KBD’s website’s, the company’s inaugural whiskey from the site will launch in 2028.
KBD is not the only Irish whiskey business fighting for its future. In November 2024, Mark Reynier confirmed his Irish whiskey distillery Waterford had called in receivers to “secure the future of the business”.
Many whisky distillers are scaling down production as supply has outpaced demand after years of growth and investment across the category. This month, Jameson maker Irish Distillers suspended production until summer.
William Grant & Sons-owned Tullamore plans to pause production for three of its nine stills, with a further three to be paused at a later date.
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