Holyrood Distillery, based in central Edinburgh near Holyrood Park, has paused production, according to a new story from The Guardian.

The distillery, which was first launched in 2019, made the announcement less than three years after it secured a £2 million funding package from Fero, with plans to expand the business both domestically and internationally.

Now, according to co-founder Rob Carpenter, there is no timeline for when production will begin again.

On the reason for the pause, the distillery noted that it is responding to a downturn in whisky consumption, a trend situated within a general decline in spirits in the UK, with spirits revenue down by £94m in 2025/26, according to the SWA earlier this year.

Speaking to the national newspaper, Carpenter said: “Anecdotally, my understanding is that the industry might be producing around a third of its normal level right now.

“No one has a crystal ball, so nobody knows what is going to happen 10 years from now. You try to anticipate where things are going to be. It is a curse of the industry in a sense.”

At the same time, Carpenter confirmed that Holyrood would be staying open for tourists, with around 40,000 people visiting the venue every year and tours accounting for roughly half the company’s current revenue.