Alistair McAlinden and Geoff Jacobs from Interpath were appointed joint administrators to GlenWyvis Distillery Limited on 5 October 2026.
Founded in 2015, GlenWyvis Distillery Limited is a Community Benefit Society (“CBS” or “Society”) that owns and operates a gin and whisky distillery in Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands. It was proudly the world’s first community-owned distillery, backed by its circa 4,000 members, making it the UK’s largest CBS, by membership number.
The Society has faced a prolonged period of financial pressure. Challenging conditions across the whisky market, increased operating costs and ongoing external pressures and disputes have all placed significant strain on the business and its available funding which have resulted in cash reserves being depleted.
Over recent months, the Society’s Management Committee has considered a range of options to address this position and secure the Society’s future. This has included a comprehensive process exploring options for external fundraising with a view to securing the additional capital required by the business. Unfortunately, this process did not secure the necessary capital to allow the Society to continue to trade as a going concern.
Following the appointment of the joint administrators, there will be no further distilling of gin or whisky, with the focus being on securing the Society’s owned whisky stocks and distillery equipment ahead of any sale of these assets. Over the coming days, communications will be issued to the parties who own private casks.
With regret, the administrators can confirm that the Society’s three members of staff have been made redundant. Interpath’s specialist employment team will be providing support to them, including supporting them with claims for monies owed to the Redundancy Payments Service.
Alistair McAlinden, head of Interpath in Scotland and joint administrator, said: “These are challenging times for Scotland’s whisky industry. We are aware of many independent producers up and down the country who are battling hard to keep their head above water in the face of rising costs, as well as oversupply and working capital strain from long maturation cycles which have coincided with a global cost of living crisis and changing drinking trends among younger generations.
“For GlenWyvis, the lack of future funding available has meant that there was no option but to appoint Administrators. With funding exhausted, there will be no distilling of whisky or gin while we look to explore how best to maximise realisations from the assets of the Society. We would ask all potential interested parties to contact us as a matter of urgency. Enquiries regarding the assets of the Society should be sent to: glenwyvis@interpath.com
“We understand that a significant number of members and customers own private casks held through the Society and that the position of those casks will be an immediate concern. Further information will follow to confirm arrangements for those parties and their casks.”
