BLACK ISLE BREWING CO. LTD.
🌳Matureactive
SC184461 · ltd · incorporated 1998-04-02
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
67/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of beer
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 67/100 (strong), bankability 47/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 64). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 6 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
9 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 27.9y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 27.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 6 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
84 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
67/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
50
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
56
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 6600 | 6900 |
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
3
filings
- • 1 mortgage
- • 1 capital
- • 1 resolution
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-09📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-11-26📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2025-11-26📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-11-24🔒Charge registered #9Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money)
- 2025-09-25📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-09-17🔒Charge registered #8Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money) (Company Number SC001111)
- 2025-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-17📍change-sail-address-company-with-new-addressaddress · AD02
- 2024-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-07📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-09-23🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money)
- 2024-04-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-04-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-04-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-13📄statement-of-companys-objectschange-of-constitution · CC04
- 2022-04-13📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-04-13📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-15🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2018-07-02🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2018-07-02🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2015-01-27🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2015-01-07🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2008-12-19🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Triodos Bank Nv
- 2008-12-19🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1998-05-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1998-04-02🏢Company incorporatedAs BLACK ISLE BREWING CO. LTD.
- 1998-04-02➕GLADWIN, Julia-Jane Kristen appointedsecretary
- 1998-04-02➕GLADWIN, David John appointeddirector
- 1998-04-02➕GLADWIN, Julia-Jane Kristen appointeddirector
- 1998-04-02➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1998-04-02➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
84/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
81/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high · 1 med · 1 lowConfirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-04-14
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
7 live charges
lowHeavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David John Gladwin Individual · British · DOB 02/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 31/03/2017 |
Mrs Julia-Jane Kristen Gladwin Individual · British · DOB 05/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 31/03/2017 |
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 · IV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOCSA WATER SKYE LTD→ SC799958 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CLOOTIENESS LTD→ SC808454 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DOG FALLS BREWING CO. LTD→ SC599919 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| HIGHLAND CIDER LIMITED→ SC486663 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| HIGHLANDER ROASTERY LTD→ SC663005 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ISLE OF SKYE DISTILLERS LTD→ SC530264 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| NATURE SPIRITS LIMITED→ SC203950 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| NO. 1 ISLE OF SKYE LIMITED→ SC689543 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ORD OAK SMOKEHOUSE LTD→ SC700547 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| PHYTOWARD LTD→ SC538139 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| PINNACLE HIGHLANDS LTD→ SC884092 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PURE BAKERY (HIGHLANDS) LTD→ SC742390 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated1998-04-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC11050 — Manufacture of beer
Registered office
. Taeblair
Munlochy
Ross Shire
IV8 8NZ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-04-14OVERDUE
Last: 2025-03-31
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
GLADWIN, Julia-Jane Kristen→
Activesecretary · appointed 1998-04-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GLADWIN, David John→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 1998-04-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GLADWIN, Julia-Jane Kristen→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 1998-04-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-04-02 · resigned 1998-04-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
9
Total charges
7
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:9 of 9 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money) | A registered charge | 2 properties | 24/11/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money) (Company Number SC001111) | A registered charge | — | 17/09/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money) | A registered charge | 1 property | 23/09/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 15/04/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 02/07/2018 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 2 properties | 02/07/2018 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 07/01/2015 | — | |
| satisfied | Triodos Bank Nv | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 19/12/2008 | 27/01/2015 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 28/05/1998 | 19/12/2008 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (84 total)
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-12-09
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2025-11-26
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-11-26
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-09-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-03
change-sail-address-company-with-new-address
address · AD02
2025-04-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-05
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-10-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-04-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-04-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-04-11