Distil Share Discussion Threads

[petersinthemarket] 01/5/2024 13:35

''Dr Graham Cooley, aged 60, has over 35 years’ experience at the forefront of new technology introduction in the power, energy storage and hydrogen sectors.''

''A proven deal maker with a track record of structuring and closing corporate deals. A proven fundraiser, having raised over £600m for technology companies from sources including venture capital, private equity, public investment markets, strategic corporates and grant bodies.''

''A lifelong environmental campaigner and commentator on all things related to the energy and sustainability sectors. Graham has a PhD in physics, an MBA, and is a Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI), The Institute of Metals, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM), and The Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET) and was awarded the Lifetime Fellowship Award by The Bessemer Society.''

Still can't help wondering why this guy has suddenly appeared and is growing his shareholding.
Booze doesn't seem to fit his background, but second para above is intriguing.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall at DIS HQ.
pete

[petersinthemarket] 30/4/2024 18:05

Random round-up of recent DIS events, in no special order:
Cash reserves of £524k at 31 March 2024 and no debt.
On 24nov2023, DIS Placement/Subs raised £0.765m to take growth plans to Mar2025.
The Placing Shares/Subs Shares represent approx 24.1% of the Enlarged Share Capital.
Shareholders: RGrain 23.6%, Rothschilds 19.32%, Dr Cooley 8.18%, HSBC Nominee 5.85%.
Donald Goulding, Executive Chairman is 70yrs old April 2024.
New shareholder and company builder Dr Graham E. Cooley BSc (Hons), MPhil, Ph.D., 60yrs old.
RG interests: Cotswolds Distillery, Manly Spirits, East London Liquor Co., Potstill Spirits, Vienna.
RG is also CEO, majority investor and owner of Ardgowan Distillery Company Ltd.
DIS convertible loan of £3m to Ardgowan pays 5% pa interest.
Production of Blackwoods gin and vodka brands has moved from Midlands to Inverkip.
The new Inverkip copper still (named Marie) has produced it's first DIS vintage gin.
A special edition gin will be made available to shareholders this summer.
A DIS blended whisky will be launched this year.
Blackwoods visitor centre fit-out is progressing well for opening soon.
Partnership agreement in place with Global Brands to service UK Off-Trade customers.
Global services DIS UK grocery, cash & carry, and convenience customers.
Global distribute Franklin & sons ready-to-serve (RTS) 250ml cans of RedLeg & Cola.
Marussia Beverages service UK On-Trade and Premium Off-Trade customers.
On-Trade business continues to contract with 16k UK outlet closures since Mar2020.
On-Trade is suffering reducing staff, rising utilities bills, cost of credit, changing consumer habits.
New RedLeg ecommerce online shop is open at hxxps://www.redlegrum.com/shop.
Market guidance for FY24/25 will be issued at the time of the finals in June 2024.

[petersinthemarket] 30/4/2024 15:48

As a very long term shareholder, I'd really like to take a look at our new company home at the Distil and Ardgowan distillery, but I doubt I will ever make it. I live in a quiet village in sw Wales and Inverkip is about 30 miles west of Glasgow. For interested map-readers, assume the core of my trip would be from Haverfordwest to Glasgow, plus linkages at both ends. I have looked at trains (3 trains plus car hire), planes (none), ferries (none), coaches (none) and horseback (only joking). My only realistic option is to drive and at my age that's 400 miles, two days and part-way stop-overs. So, 4/5 days for a few hours at a distillery. Just not on, so, if anyone has any sensible suggestions, I'm very open to ideas.

Failing that (and far more practical), would someone like to sub for me/us and put lots of gen and pics on here. I found the few pics DIS provided of the open day most unsatisfactory to give me/us the real look, feel and smell of the place and it's a major part of our future.
pete

[petersinthemarket] 30/4/2024 13:51

Following completion of commissioning and testing, the gin still at Blackwoods' new brand home on the site of the Ardgowan Distillery, near Inverkip to the west of Glasgow, is now fully operational and the first distillation of Blackwoods has been completed. The team has reserved this first liquid for release as a limited-edition available exclusively to shareholders in the summer, with more details to follow soon. Distillation took place on the 1000 litre Scottish-crafted copper still called Marie, to the Blackwoods gin recipe, using the local Scottish botanicals kelp, sea buckthorn and water mint. The first distillation cements Blackwoods' move to its new home at Ardgowan, and kicks-off a programme of new product development for the brand which will be showcased at the distillery's visitor experience.

[petersinthemarket] 12/4/2024 17:09

Agreed – He has moved from a holding of 7.07% to 8.18%.
We don't know his average purchase price,
but if we assume he bought his 74 million shares at 0.5p each,
it would have set him back around £370,000,
so he must be a committed investor.
I wonder what his master plan might be.

[squibno1] 12/4/2024 15:28

Dr Cooley is confident

[analystium] 12/4/2024 11:44

Full year cumulative volumes increased 8%
Full year cumulative revenues increased 17% to £1.55m (FY2023 £1.32m)
Full year cumulative gross profit increased 11% to £759k (FY2023 £683k)

[squibno1] 11/4/2024 13:23

· Q4 advertising and promotional spend increased 78% to £130k (Q4 FY2023 £73k)

· Q4 revenues decreased 23% year-on-year to £344k (Q4 FY2023 £448k)

!

[thepopeofchillitown] 11/4/2024 10:12

And while cash balances were stable in Q4, I can see them running out of cash this year if growth is flat.

[thepopeofchillitown] 11/4/2024 10:06

I expected Q4 to be poor. What little money most people had, they spent it at Xmas. FY is a good result.The ship has been steadied, but personally, I just don't see it growing significantly from here, especially in the current economic climate.

[haggismchaggis] 11/4/2024 08:06

Skinny, and the word increased appears five times.

[blueball] 11/4/2024 07:32

Pretty worthless imo.

[skinny] 11/4/2024 07:12

The word "decreased" appears 4 times under " key results"....

[haggismchaggis] 11/4/2024 07:11

Results all a bit meh apart from cash is ok, exports creeping up, ardgowan soon, and global brands helping. Nothing more to do but wait for ardgowan and the next quarter results.

[gipps] 26/3/2024 15:09

Just worries me that the prievious of taking over the distribution themselves has not gone well so the sales figures will be poor when the results come out.

[petersinthemarket] 26/3/2024 11:26

Well, that RNS did nothing useful for the sp!
Three different distribution processes now.
I hope they don't trip up over each other.
We need a good TU in a couple of weeks time.
pete

[barnes4] 25/3/2024 15:53

The ole distillery will be gone very soon imo

[haggismchaggis] 25/3/2024 15:04

That's just bonkers!!

[petersinthemarket] 25/3/2024 13:37

I live in Pembrokeshire. Some of you may know that Pembs is often lumped in with the counties of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigeon in a large area of sw Wales called Dyfed.

My local Tesco in Pembs has delisted RedLeg so I asked DIS mktg where I could buy it. They told me the only outlet in Dyfed was Morrisons, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, 50 miles away. All three counties of Dyfed with only one outlet, 50 miles away from me.

So, they suggested I try the new DIS online sales website.
Has anyone checked it out?
redlegrum.com

I took a look.
RedLeg rum 70cl bottle priced at £23 plus £4.95 delivery = £27.95
Same bottle on Amazon £18.00 and free next day delivery for Prime members.
Am I mistaken? This can't be right, can it?

I suspect that DIS is still far too London centric
pete

[haggismchaggis] 25/3/2024 13:34

Thanks Peter, interesting to say the least. As I said last year, the plan to build and sell brands is a failure, as not one brand sold in all the time Don has been in charge. If he'd taken the £10m he refused to take for RedLeg, then sold Blackwoods Gin and Vodka for likely as much, just imagine how big DIS would be today. .It's going to be extremely difficult for any investors that look at DIS to work out why they should invest in it. We need an up to date plan for the future released by the board, telling the market how they intend to deliver shareholder value.

[petersinthemarket] 25/3/2024 11:02

I note two very thoughtful posts dated 23 March on the LondonSE website.
They are headed RE: Ardgowan and the contributor is bobbyaxelrod.

They are rather lengthy and so are not copied here.
I believe that DIS followers might find them of interest.
pete

[berny3] 25/3/2024 10:39

The Global Brands link up is a shinning light. The individual behind the company owns a hotel chain amongst other things and was the originator of alcopops, if you are old enough to remember the launch of Hooch!!

This is fantastic news and I would expect further drink combinations in cans.

We are starting again and hopefully this time there is a team in place to keep the momentum going.

[skinny] 25/3/2024 10:16

That looks like 2 £30K+ sells.

On edit - make that @£8k.

[distill] 25/3/2024 09:31

Well my shares will be worthless at this rate, my shares in this company down 79% just grateful that I am only a small invester