Whisky bottler Chapter 7 collapses amid cashflow crisis
After more than a decade in operation, Scottish independent whisky bottler Chapter 7 has gone into liquidation due to cashflow pressures and a downturn in sales.
Kevin Mapstone and Kenneth Craig of insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor were appointed joint liquidators of Paisley-based Chapter 7 on 2 October 2025.
Founded by Selim Evin in 2014, Chapter 7 produced more than 50 specialist small-batch whiskies.
In August 2022, Chapter 7 opened a bottling facility in Glasgow, bringing production fully in-house after previously using a third-party supplier.
However, the company was hit by ‘falling global demand and a softening of discretionary spend overall’, according to Begbies Traynor.
The whisky industry has experienced a slowdown in sales in the past year, with many distilleries cutting production and jobs.
Due to the increased costs of the new site and stock, Chapter 7 experienced cashflow issues and was unable to find new funding. As such, the decision was made to liquidate the business.
The liquidators are now consulting with two impacted employees and securing any remaining stock.
The business has also been approached by an unnamed ‘sector specialist’, who has acquired the intellectual property and trading brand of Chapter 7.
Begbies Traynor did not confirm the identity of the purchaser.
The Spirits Business has also approached Chapter 7 for comment.
According to the company’s website, the name Chapter 7 was inspired by William Shakespeare’s monologue, The Seven Ages of Man, chosen to represent the whisky as it passes through its own stages in the cask.
On its website, Chapter 7 noted it had planned a move to the Scottish Highlands this summer.
Fellow Scottish company Beastley Brews appointed a liquidator in August after facing cashflow difficulties.
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