Jobs lost at stricken gin firm but hopes remain high for rescue deal

A Leicestershire gin distiller and retailer that owed almost £1.6m to creditors when it collapsed into administration could be on the verge of being rescued, TheBusinessDesk.com understands.

Administrators from Begbies Traynor have identified Darren Gould as the potential saviour of Burleighs Gin, which slipped into administration in December after temporarily closing its distillery and ceasing to take orders due to “unforeseen circumstances” just weeks beforehand.

Gould, a former director of Burleighs’ holding company Burleighs Holdings Limited, has established a new company, Burleighs Gin Distillers Limited, in a bid to rescue the embattled Loughborough firm.

Gould, who holds directorships with Exeter-based real estate and management consultancy company Lexer Investments and Safeguard Construction, resigned from Burleighs Holdings in November 2021.

Begbies were called in to look after the day-to-day running of Burleighs after the firm posted two notices of intention (NOIs) to appoint administrators in November.

Documents subsequently released by the administrators showed that creditors could potentially miss out on the £1.58m owed to them.

At the time, a source told TheBusinessDesk.com that business advisory firm Kirks had informed creditors Burleighs were “commencing liquidation proceedings.”

In a statement, the administrators said “significant delays” to the sale process had resulted in all of Burleighs’ staff being made redundant at the beginning of January, but hopes of a rescue deal remain live.

“Relevant disclosures will be made to creditors” when an evaluator’s report on the sale is received, they added.