A SCOTTISH whisky distillery has announced job losses just 15 months after opening.
The Rosebank Distillery, in Falkirk, was reopened by Ian Macleod Distillers in June 2024 after more than 30 years shuttered.
The distillery then won Edinburgh-based architecture and design firm MLA an Architectural Journal award in December of that year.
However, a little over a year after reopening, the distillery is looking at making some 20 staff redundant as the visitor centre and retail shop is running at a loss, according to the Falkirk Herald.
That paper reported that staff including duty managers and tour guides have been told that their contracts will end at the start of October.
Stuart Hendry, brand homes director for Rosebank Distillery, said that visitor numbers to the distillery had been “lower than anticipated and hoped” despite marketing campaigns focused on attracting people from tourism “hotspots” like Glasgow and Edinburgh.
He went on: "This, combined with the level of tourism footfall from passing visitors in Falkirk, is insufficient to sustain our current operating model. To safeguard future business, we have taken the difficult decision to propose a realignment of our opening hours to better suit demand.
“Rosebank will remain open to visitors all year-round, but we are proposing our public opening hours will be shorter and more flexible.
“As part of these proposed changes, the roles of colleagues are also being reviewed, and it is with a heavy heart we delivered this difficult update to members of the Rosebank brand home team.
"None of this is a reflection on their commitment or contribution, which we value and appreciate. Some of our colleagues will be impacted by the proposed changes and this is a sensitive process.
"We are handling matters with the compassion, dignity and respect they deserve. We are fully and properly supporting everyone involved at this difficult time.”
Established in 1840, the Rosebank distillery was known as the “king of the lowlands” but a combination of factors, including recessions and a reduction in whisky consumption, led to its closure in 1993.
It was abandoned and fell into disrepair but was acquired by Ian MacLeod distillers in 2019 and reopened in 2024.
