A SCOTTISH company behind the world’s first oat-milk-based cocktail drink has gone bust with 17,400 bottles still in stock and all jobs lost.
Beastly Brews, the company owned by Paul Crawford, who previously went into Dragons Den asking for £50,000 in exchange for 7% of his firm, first learned of the drink, which has roots in 1920s Spain, at a music festival in Barcelona.
Crawford, who owned Glasgow's iconic Sub Club at the time, brought the drink home and set up a firm selling his own version.
However, the company has now appointed Donald McKinnon of Wbg as provisional liquidator.
Panther Milk, which was sold directly to Amazon and to supermarket giants such as Asda and the Co-Op, was marketed as "not only a delicious choice for the socially responsible, but it’s perfect for those who want to enjoy the festive season without compromising their values or the planet".
Beasty Brews employed seven staff and generated a turnover of around£175k from October 2024 to May 2025.
It ceased to trade and all employees were made redundant prior to the provisional liquidator’s appointment.
Commenting on the events leading up to the liquidation, Crawford (above) said: “We had invested in the production of stock in advance with the intention of supplying to Tesco and Sainsbury’s, but both arrangements fell through, leaving us with too much stock, the cost of production to account for, and, ultimately, cashflow difficulties as we sought to offset the stock, resulting in this unfortunate liquidation.”
McKinnon added: “It is sad to see the demise of such an innovative drinks company with such great potential.
"The company still holds stock, amounting to around 17,400 of bottles of varying flavours and we are currently exploring opportunities to dispose of this stock to interested parties."
