DUNNET BAY DISTILLERS LTD.
🌳Matureactive
SC454474 · ltd · incorporated 2013-07-15
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£2.85M
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 11010
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 11060Manufacture of malt
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
5 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 12.1y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
44 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £2,854,326
Cash draining
Cash down 44% YoY
Cash YoY
-44%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£642k
↓ 44% YoY
Net Worth
£2.9m
↑ 15% YoY
Current Assets
£1.5m
↓ 27% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £5.45M | £3.75M |
| Current assets | £1.47M | £2.03M |
| Cash | £641.9k | £1.15M |
| Debtors | £374.3k | £384.5k |
| Net assets | £2.85M | £2.49M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-02📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-03-25📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-09-17📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-09-17📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-09-17🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2024-09-12📄mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-numbermortgage · 466(Scot)
- 2024-09-06📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-09-06🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2024-09-06🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Historic Environment Scotland
- 2024-09-05📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-09-05📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-09-02🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2024-09-02🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2024-06-20📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-04-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-04📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2023-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-04📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-11-04📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-11-03📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-18📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2020-12-16📄capital-alter-shares-subdivisioncapital · SH02
- 2014-03-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2013-07-15🏢Company incorporatedAs DUNNET BAY DISTILLERS LTD.
- 2013-07-15➕MURRAY, Claire Margaret appointeddirector
- 2013-07-15➕MURRAY, Martin John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
71/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 13 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
49/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
3 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alastair Menzies Borthwick Individual · American,British · DOB 07/1968 · age 58 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 27/10/2022 |
Mr Martin John Murray Individual · British · DOB 05/1981 · age 45 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Claire Margaret Murray Individual · British · DOB 09/1981 · age 45 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Food & drink · KW postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARGO'S BAKERY LIMITED→ SC082881 · est 1983 | — | — | £550.3k | — | 42y | 83 | 66y |
| ANNIE'S BAKERY LIMITED→ SC439693 · est 2013 | — | — | £57.1k | — | 13y | 73 | 34y |
| CAPALDIS BRORA LTD→ SC555799 · est 2017 | — | — | £16.1k | — | 9y | 73 | 35y |
| DUNROBIN HIGHLAND DISTILLERY LIMITED→ SC520078 · est 2015 | — | — | — | 0 | 10y | 73 | 55y |
| 58 NØRTH LTD→ SC850938 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | 71 | 41y |
| BOREAL BREWING LTD→ SC870145 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | 71 | 45y |
| FORBESCROFT LTD→ SC686242 · est 2021 | — | — | £5.0k | — | 5y | 69 | 43y |
| B G A QUALITY BUTCHERS LTD→ SC470632 · est 2014 | — | — | £-3.5k | — | 12y | 63 | 70y |
| DEERNESS DISTILLERY LTD→ SC531754 · est 2016 | — | — | £-84.3k | — | 10y | 59 | 53y |
| CRANTIT DAIRY→ SC141498 · est 1992 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 33y | — | — |
| DONALDSONS OF ORKNEY→ SC740005 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GOLDEN SLIPPER BREWING COMPANY LIMITED→ SC824877 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2013-07-15
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC11010 — SIC 11010
Registered office
Dunnet Bay Distillery
Dunnet
Thurso
KW14 8XD
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-29
Last: 2025-07-15
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
MURRAY, Claire Margaret→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2013-07-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MURRAY, Martin John→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2013-07-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
5
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 2 properties | 06/09/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Historic Environment Scotland | A registered charge | 2 properties | 06/09/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 02/09/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 2 properties | 02/09/2024 | 17/09/2024 | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 28/03/2014 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (44 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-05
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-04-02
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-03-25
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-09-17
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-09-17
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2024-09-12
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-09-06
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-09-05
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-09-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-02
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-06-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-25
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-03-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-25