BrewDog has announced plans to close its distillery in Aberdeenshire and discontinue all of its spirit brands, except for Wonderland cocktails. The move has sparked fears over job losses at the facility, which is located at the company's headquarters in Ellon.
In a memo to employees, the beer giant said the distillery will be indefinitely closed after "careful consideration". The memo stated: "We've made the difficult decision to cease production of our distilling brands ... this isn't a decision we've taken lightly." The company cited a highly competitive spirits market and a need to focus on its beer range and Wonderland cocktails, where it sees "significant growth potential".
BrewDog reported losses of £59m in 2023 and £30.5m in 2022. The closure follows the announcement in August that it would shut ten bars across the UK. Data also showed that its flagship beer, Punk IPA, is no longer stocked in 1,980 pubs, while 1,860 bars have dropped the entire BrewDog range.
The company assured investors and Equity for Punks holders that it will fulfil all existing obligations, including whisky-related perks and cask investments. BrewDog was founded in 2007 in Ellon by James Watt and Martin Dickie, and expanded globally from 2013.
