UK drinks company enters liquidation after six years

Straight and Narrow Drinks, a maker of low-calorie, alcohol-free drinks, has entered liquidation after six years in business, according to Brentwood Live. The report cites The Gazette and Companies House records. The company was established in October 2020 and, as described in the reports, made its drinks with natural ingredients and no artificial colours or flavourings.

The reports do not say how many people worked for the company, how much it owed or why it failed. Those details will matter most to staff, suppliers and customers, and none of them is yet public in the sources we have seen.

Beverage company liquidation: what the records show

Nick West and Craig Povey of BTG Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP were appointed joint liquidators on 30 September, according to The Gazette as reported by Brentwood Live. Companies House records also show a notice from the Registrar of Companies. Brentwood Live quotes it as saying that “unless cause is shown to the contrary, the Company will be struck off the register and dissolved not less than 2 months from the date shown above”, which it gives as 29 September.

The sources we have seen do not state the year of these dates. If they fall in 2026, our reading is that the earliest possible dissolution would be 29 November 2026. The notice adds that on dissolution all property and rights held by the company are deemed bona vacantia and “will belong to the Crown”. Companies House also lists the company’s accounts for the year to October 2025 as overdue.

Some customers praised the drinks. Brentwood Live quotes a Trustpilot reviewer who called them “brilliant” and another who wrote: “Love that there is no alcohol but no compromise on taste.” Good reviews, however, do not tell you whether a business is solvent.

Where it sits in the insolvency figures

The latest national figures we have seen show insolvencies easing. The Insolvency Service said there were 1,868 company insolvencies in England and Wales in May 2026, 10% fewer than the 2,087 in April and 16% fewer than the 2,231 in May 2025. That is 363 fewer than in May 2025, or about 12 fewer a day across the 31 days of the month, by our calculation. The figures are provisional and seasonally adjusted for most types.

The statistics also say that “one in 196 companies on the Companies House effective register” entered insolvency between 1 June 2025 and 31 May 2026. That is a rate of 50.9 per 10,000 companies, down from 53.0 in the previous 12 months. The Insolvency Service said the rate remains far below the 113.1 per 10,000 seen in the 2008-09 recession.

What happens next

For Straight and Narrow Drinks, the next visible step is the dissolution date, which cannot come before the end of the two-month period in the notice. Until then the joint liquidators are in charge. Creditors and customers with queries would normally start with them, although the reports give no contact details.

For a sense of how long insolvency processes can take, the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland said it had accepted a six-year disqualification undertaking, on 12 May 2026, from the director of Kauffee Ltd, a beverage retailer that went into liquidation on 31 March 2023. That is a separate company in a different jurisdiction, with no stated link to Straight and Narrow Drinks, and nothing in the sources suggests any such review of Straight and Narrow Drinks.

Your questions answered

Which UK companies have gone bust recently?

Brentwood Live lists several 2026 failures. It reports that LK Bennett, Claire’s and Quiz closed all their remaining stores after entering administration, and that Leading Labels is closing its last 15 stores after liquidation in May. It also names four airlines: Ascend Airways and EcoJet Airlines (liquidation), and Zenith Aviation Limited and European Cargo (administration). It further reports that Wayfairer Travel Limited has suspended all services.

What are the biggest drink companies in the UK?

None of the sources for this story ranks UK drinks companies, so we have not offered a list. Straight and Narrow Drinks was a specialist producer, according to the reports.

What happens if I liquidate my Ltd company?

The sources do not give a full guide or set out the position in England and Wales. The Department for the Economy sets out what applies in Northern Ireland. There, liquidators must report unfit conduct by directors. A director found unfit faces disqualification for between two and 15 years, and breaching it can mean up to two years in prison, a fine or both. A disqualified person cannot be a company director without High Court leave. Readers in England and Wales should check the rules that apply to them with the Insolvency Service or a qualified adviser.