Lindores Abbey Distillery cuts jobs
Lowlands whisky maker Lindores Abbey Distillery has made a “small number” of staff redundant, just months after cutting its events team.
The Fife-based producer confirmed it had axed its “non-core events business” after a strategic review of its operations, as well as an undisclosed number of roles across the business.
In a statement, Lindores Abbey said: “Following a strategic review of the distillery’s operations, a non-core events business was disbanded in 2025 and as part of broader operational streamlining, a small number of roles from other parts of the business in the months following.
“Our operational structure has been revised to focus on our core strengths: liquid production, sales, and the visitor centre – a model consistent with our peers across the Scotch whisky industry.”
Lindores Abbey would not confirm how many positions were cut, but said the roles made redundant to date were within events and the wider business support teams. No roles within production have been affected, the distillery stated.
In its statement, the distillery also clarified that it had returned to full production last September to support demand for its spirits.
A Lindores Abbey employee confirmed to The Spirits Business that production had been intermittent in recent years as it was scheduled in line with demand. The company would not state when exactly production had stopped.
“After a period of non-continuous production for several years, we are proud to confirm that distillation resumed to full production in September 2025,” the statement continued.
“This ensures that the spiritual home of Scotch whisky continues to produce quality spirit and our visitor centre remains open, undergoing exciting strategic development and continues to welcome guests from around the world.
“The business continues to trade as normal and is focused on a strong and sustainable future.”
The distillery sits across from the ruins of Lindores Abbey, a Tironensian monastery widely acknowledged as the spiritual home of Scotch whisky.
The business was founded by married couple Drew and Helen McKenzie Smith in 2017, with a production capacity of 150,000 litres of pure alcohol a year.
The late Dr Jim Swan helped to design the distillery and influence its direction.
The distillery’s visitor centre currently remains open for daily tour bookings.
‘Competitive business’
Speaking to The Spirits Business last year, Drew McKenzie Smith acknowledged the challenges facing the industry: “It’s a competitive business. We’re all watching what’s happening in the whisky business at the moment.
“Back in the early 2000s, whisky was in a downturn, and we’ve been fortunate with Lindores to experience the upturn. But now, like with almost every other whisky producer – big or small – we’re seeing what’s happening on a global scale. There’s certainly a tightening of belts at the moment.”
The Scotch whisky sector has seen a high number of job cuts in the last 12 months as the industry faces a drop in demand.
Fellow Fife-based whisky maker InchDairnie Distillery began a redundancy process last year.
Earlier this week, Suntory confirmed it had offered redundancy to staff at its Islay distilleries Bowmore and Laphroaig after combining their operational workforces into one.
Meanwhile, Ian Macleod Distillers-owned Rosebank, Brown-Forman’s Glenglassaugh, and Isle of Harris have all looked into restructuring.
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