Diageo shuts Aviation Gin visitor centre
Aviation Gin owner Diageo will close the brand’s visitor centre in Oregon just three years after opening the site.
The Aviation American Gin distillery and visitor centre opened in Oregon in September 2022. The opening followed Diageo’s purchase of the brand in 2020, which is also backed by actor Ryan Reynolds.
A Diageo spokesperson said: “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the Aviation American Gin Visitor Center in Portland, Oregon.
“This decision reflects evolving business needs, as we continue to support growth ambitions for our Aviation American Gin brand.
“Aviation American Gin remains an important part of Diageo’s portfolio and we are committed to the brand, our customers and consumers.”
The Spirits Business has asked Diageo when it intends to shut the visitor centre and how many jobs have been impacted by the closure. Currently, the Aviation website does not mention whether the visitor centre is open.
It is understood that Diageo shifted bottling and blending of Aviation Gin from the Oregon site to another facility owned by the company last year. The Spirits Business is awaiting confirmation on where the brand is currently being produced.
Oregon-made Aviation Gin was bought by Davos Brands in 2016. The brand first launched in 2006 as part of a collaboration between bartender Ryan Magarian and House Spirits Distillery.
Reynolds invested in Aviation Gin in 2018. His wife, fellow actor Blake Lively, has also dabbled in the alcohol industry with her Betty Buzz range.
The closure of Aviation’s visitor site also follows the shutdown of Diageo’s Distill Ventures investment arm, which had provided funding to Oregon’s Westward whiskey since 2018. The American single malt brand has since been saved from bankruptcy by a group of private investors, enabling the business to restructure.
Diageo’s gin portfolio also includes Gordon’s and Tanqueray. It moved production of Chase Gin and Vodka to Cameronbridge Distillery in Scotland after closing the brand’s Herefordshire site in January 2025.
Diageo has faced struggling sales in its biggest market, North America.
In the US specifically, spirits sales were down by 15.4% for the three months to 31 March 2026. Its Tequila business suffered a double-digit decline due to ‘tough prior year comparatives, competitive pressure and category softness’.
The move to shut Aviation’s visitor centre comes as Diageo begins restructuring the business. CEO Dave Lewis, who joined the UK drinks giant from Tesco at the start of 2026, has reportedly ‘instructed his top executives to cut headcount and other costs in their departments’.
The company behind Baileys liqueur also recently confirmed that 150 jobs in Ireland are at risk.
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