Ian Macleod Slashes Glengoyne and Rosebank Production by 30%
Ian Macleod Distillers has cut annual production at Glengoyne and Rosebank by 30%, citing low demand across the Scotch category. The Spirits Business reported the scaleback on Friday.
Glengoyne sits at the foot of the Campsie Fells, producing unpeated single malt with a reputation for sherry cask maturation. Rosebank is the Falkirk lowlander — silent for three decades, revived in 2024, and now producing again under Ian Macleod's ownership. Both distilleries feed into the company's broader portfolio, which also includes Smokehead and Edinburgh Gin.
A 30% production cut is not a tap adjustment. It is a signal. When a company reduces output by nearly a third across two distilleries, the warehouses are filling faster than the bottles are leaving. Ian Macleod is not alone in facing this — but they are among the first to act decisively rather than ride it out and hope.
Murray's take: The whisky industry spent a decade building capacity for a boom that has cooled. warehouses across Scotland are full of spirit laid down in 2018–2022, when demand projections pointed up and to the right. Those projections did not account for a global slowdown in premium spirit sales, changing drinking habits among younger consumers, and the hangover from overpriced limited editions that sat on shelves. Ian Macleod is doing the responsible thing — cutting production before stock builds to a level that forces fire-sale pricing. Expect more distilleries to follow. The ones that move early will weather this. The ones that don't will be discounting casks in two years.
Is Depremiumisation the Future? The Spirits Industry Asks Itself
The Spirits Business published a feature on Friday asking whether the years-long push toward premiumisation has run its course. The argument: having spent a decade telling consumers to trade up, the global spirits industry is now pushing affordability.
The piece examines the shift across categories — Scotch, bourbon, gin, tequila — where entry-level and mid-range expressions are getting fresh marketing attention while ultra-premium releases sit longer on shelves. The question is not whether premium whisky is dead. It isn't. The question is whether the industry's growth strategy of perpetual trading-up has hit a wall.
Murray's take: Premiumisation was never a permanent strategy. It was a cycle. The industry pushed consumers up the price ladder for fifteen years, and a large segment of them climbed willingly. But ladders have tops. The consumer who moved from blended Scotch to single malt to single cask to £300 limited editions has, in many cases, stopped climbing. Not because they've lost interest in whisky. Because they've found their floor — the price point where the liquid is good enough and the experience is repeatable. Depremiumisation is an ugly word for a sensible correction. The brands that survive this cycle are the ones that make genuinely good whisky at £40–60, not the ones that keep launching £500 bottles into a market that has stopped catching them.
Edrington Flags Challenges as Macallan and Highland Park Owner Unveils Results
Edrington, the privately owned spirits group behind The Macallan and Highland Park, has unveiled financial results accompanied by an unusually frank assessment of headwinds facing the category. The Herald reported the update on Tuesday.
The Macallan remains the world's best-selling single malt by value, and Highland Park continues to anchor the Orkney single malt category. Edrington's portfolio also includes The Glenrothes and Glenturret. The company is owned by the Robertson Trust, which channels dividends into charitable causes — a structure that gives Edrington a longer-term orientation than most publicly traded competitors.
The results come at a moment when several major spirits groups are reporting softened demand. Edrington's willingness to flag challenges openly, rather than bury them in positive framing, is notable.
Murray's take: When the owner of The Macallan says things are difficult, the rest of the industry should listen. The Macallan is not a canary in the coal mine — it is the coal mine. If the single malt category's flagship brand is facing headwinds, the pressure on everyone below is greater. Edrington's private ownership is an advantage here. No quarterly earnings calls. No activist shareholders demanding cost cuts. The Robertson Trust structure means Edrington can absorb a down cycle without the panic that listed competitors face. But even with that cushion, the challenges are real — and they are not going away in one reporting period.
14 Whiskies Released to Celebrate Scotland's Return to the World Cup
Fourteen whisky releases have hit the market to mark Scotland's return to the World Cup after a long absence from the tournament. The Scotsman rounded up the full collection on June 8, highlighting a range that spans limited edition single malts, blended Scotch, and a rare Lowland expression.
The releases capture a moment where Scottish sporting identity and whisky culture collide. World Cup commemorative bottlings are not a new phenomenon — distilleries and independent bottlers have marked tournaments going back decades. What makes this batch notable is the breadth: 14 separate releases, from established names to smaller producers, all betting that football fever translates into bottle sales.
Murray's take: Commemorative releases live or die on one question: is the liquid worth buying once the occasion has passed? Most World Cup whiskies are standard expressions with a new label. A few are genuine one-offs — cask selections or age statements that would sell regardless of the football. The rare Lowland entry is the one to watch. Lowland single malt is the quietest of Scotland's regions, and anything that draws attention to it is welcome. Scotland's World Cup campaign may be short-lived. A good bottle of Lowland whisky lasts considerably longer.
Ardnamurchan Madeira Cask Earns Top Marks from Critics
The Whiskey Wash has named the Ardnamurchan Madeira Cask as its favourite release from the distillery to date, in a review published June 26.
Ardnamurchan Distillery sits on the westernmost point of mainland Britain, operated by Adelphi. The distillery has built its reputation on transparency — publishing full production details for every release, including cask types, age, outturn, and ABV. The Madeira Cask edition continues that practice, maturing spirit in casks previously holding Madeira wine.
Madeira cask finishing remains rare in Scotch whisky. Sherry dominates. Bourbon is everywhere. Port has its advocates. Madeira sits apart — contributing dried fruit, roasted nut character, and a distinctive acidity that other cask types cannot replicate.
Murray's take: Ardnamurchan does something most distilleries avoid — they tell you exactly what is in the bottle and how it got there. No mystique. No vague language about "special casks." The Madeira cask release works because the cask type is genuinely interesting, not just novel. Madeira brings something that sherry and bourbon do not — a bright, almost savoury edge that cuts through the sweetness of new-make spirit. That it earned top marks from a critic who has tasted the distillery's full range says something: this is not a novelty. It is the distillery finding a cask type that matches its spirit character. That is what good whisky-making looks like.
Got a tip or story we should cover? Find us at drammaster.academy or email [email protected].
