BrewDog to halt spirits production at Aberdeenshire distillery

BrewDog’s brewing arm, BrewDog Distilling Co, is to cease distilling spirits at its base in Ellon, Aberdeenshire in the coming months.

 

The group will phase out brands encompassing Duo Rum, Abstrakt Vodka, Lonewolf Gin, Duo Rum, Casa Rayos Tequila and Ron Bodega, but will retain its ready-to-drink cocktail line, Wonderland.

 

BrewDog’s distilling team will manage the wind-down, including the run-off of remaining stock and honouring supply commitments.

 

The brewer and bar operator stated: “After careful consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to cease production of our distilling brands, with the exception of Wonderland cocktails.

 

“This will allow us to sharpen our focus and concentrate our efforts on our beer and the continued growth of Wonderland.

 

“We’re incredibly proud of what the distillery team has built and want to thank everyone who has worked on, contributed to and supported the distilling business over the years.”

 

BrewDog now intends to prioritise its beers, including Punk IPA, Hazy Jane and Wingman.

 

It did not disclose whether its decision would result in job losses, though the future of the Ellon distillery, which opened in 2015, will be reviewed at a later date.

 

BrewDog did confirm a round of job cuts in October last year, though did not specify how many, in a bid to shore up the business in the face of mounting losses.

 

The company reported a pre-tax loss of £37m in 2024, the fifth year in a row it had failed to make a profit.

 

It comes after BrewDog closed 10 bars across the UK in 2025, including its Aberdeen flagship, blaming challenging market conditions.

 

Questions were raised about the brand’s future when the Telegraph reported Brewdog’s beers had been dropped from nearly 2,000 pubs, most of which are owned by large chains, cutting its distribution by more than a third.

 

There have also been hints of trouble behind the scenes, with the brewer now on its third chief executive in just over a year since co-founder James Watt stepped back from the role in May 2024.

 

Martin Dickie, who launched the brewer with Watt in 2007, also left the business last year citing personal reasons.

 

In 2025, BrewDog became the became the exclusive beer partner to the London Stadium and became the official beer partner to Lord’s Cricket Ground.

 

BrewDog operates 120 bars worldwide, around 60 of which are in the UK.