Case Study 2min(s)

Shawbrook and McConnell’s Irish Whisky: Supporting the next chapter of an iconic brand

Shawbrook has provided a £22.5 million Asset Based Lending facility to Belfast Distillery Company Ltd (t/a McConnell’s Irish Whisky) to refinance existing facilities and support continued global growth.

Two bottles of whiskey are displayed side by side on a counter, with light streaming through a window in the background and green screens visible on either side.

At a glance

  • McConnell’s was first launched in 1776 and played a key role in Belfast becoming the powerhouse of the world whisky trade across the by the turn of the 20th Century.  While McConnell’s Irish Whisky closed its doors in the 1930’s it was revived in 2020 and now operates a modern distillery in Belfast.
  • The company required flexible funding to support stock maturation, expand its international sales presence, and invest in its visitor experience.
  • Shawbrook provided a £22.5 million Asset Based Lending facility, structured around McConnell’s maturing Irish Whisky inventory, to enable continued investment and growth.

Belfast Distillery Company Ltd, trading as McConnell’s Irish Whisky, is one of Ireland’s oldest Whisky brands, originally established in 1776. Despite falling on hard times with the brand falling silent in the 1930’s it was revived in 2020 following significant investment by Belfast Investors.

In 2024, the brand opened its brand home in the heart of Belfast, transforming an old Victorian prison into a state-of-the-art whisky distillery that can produce 500,000 litres of pure alcohol per year. McConnell’s produces premium and ultra-premium Irish Whiskies distributed across more than 45 global markets and have won over 55 International Whisky Awards since their relaunch in 2020.

Shawbrook has delivered a £22.5m revolving Asset Based Lending facility structured around the business’s maturing Irish Whisky inventory.  The arrangement replaces previous ABL facilities and provides immediate funding headroom to support long-term stock maturation, international expansion and early-stage bulk commercialisation of this premium Irish Whisky.

Reviving a brand of this scale requires patient capital and a funding partner who understands both our growth ambitions and the dynamics of maturing whisky inventory. Shawbrook demonstrated a genuine appetite to understand our vision from the outset. This facility gives us the flexibility to continue investing in our stocks, our international footprint and our visitor experience. And will provide us with the resources required to continue on our mission to put Belfast back on the Whisky Map where it belongs.

John Kelly CEO of McConnell’s Irish Whisky

Oliver Sutton & Oliver Jenkins, Senior Directors, Asset Based Lending at Shawbrook, added:

“McConnell’s represents an exceptional blend of premium positioning and international growth ambition. We engaged early with management and took time to understand the evolution of the business and the long-term value embedded within its maturing inventory. Our £22.5m ABL facility is structured to provide the flexibility and headroom required to support that journey.”

Rothschild & Co advised McConnell’s on the transaction.

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