A sign has been put on the front door: \u201cClosed until further notice \u2013 many apologies to our many loyal customers\u201d.<\/p>\n
One of The National Distillery Company’s outstanding gins. <\/p>\n
The company\u2019s website has also been taken offline for the meantime.<\/p>\n
A liquidation notice, published in Hawke\u2019s Bay Today, has invited creditors to make a claim.<\/p>\n
A liquidator\u2019s report detailing how much the company owes to creditors has yet to be released.<\/p>\n
Co-founder and director Blair Nicholl said an \u201cactive sale process\u201d was underway as part of the liquidation, which he said \u201cprovides a strong pathway for the brands to continue\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the company\u2019s stock and assets were under the control of the liquidators and \u201cform part of the active sale process\u201d.<\/p>\n
Nicholl said it had been a tough decision to place the company in liquidation.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, myself and the directors are absolutely gutted that we couldn\u2019t find a way to keep the business operating in its current form,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe put everything we had into building this company and are incredibly proud of what the team achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Television celebrity The Dark Destroyer pays a visit to the distillery in 2023. Photo \/ Paul Taylor<\/p>\n
He said they had eight staff and \u201cemployee entitlements are continuing to be worked through as part of the liquidation process\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike many businesses, we faced a combination of challenges over recent years, including Covid-19, Cyclone Gabrielle, rising operating costs, changing consumer spending patterns, broader economic pressures and challenges in our export markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, liquidation became the most responsible course of action.\u201d<\/p>\n
The appointed liquidators have been contacted for further information, including what will be sold to help pay creditors.<\/p>\n
The National Distillery Company\u2018s spirits are sold across New Zealand and also in the US.<\/p>\n
Last year, the company mentioned ambitions to expand into Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n The directors of the company are Nicholl and Ricardo Reis.<\/p>\n The appointed liquidators are Damien Grant and Adam Botterill, from insolvency firm Waterstone.<\/p>\n