Eden Mill brings in new CEO after administration rescue

Eden Mill distillery has appointed Steven Kersley as chief executive officer one month after it was bought from administration by Ruby Capital.

Kersley has more than a decade of senior leadership experience in the Scotch whisky and craft spirits industry, latterly as managing director of BrewDog Distilling, which recently ceased distilling spirits at its base in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

He takes over the Eden Mill role from interim chief executive, Ian McDougall, who covered responsibilities after the departure of Rennie Donaldson in October last year.

The St Andrews-based firm appointed Kenny Craig and Kevin Mapstone of Begbies Traynor as administrators on 18 November 2025.

The gin and whisky producer fell into difficulty after struggling with a drop in sales and delays to the opening of its flagship visitor centre.

Ruby Capital’s rescue deal, for an undisclosed sum, saved all 42 staff jobs.

Eden Mill believes the CEO appointment marks the beginning of a new chapter, as its distillery has significant capacity for expansion.

Kersley said: "With its location at the gateway to the home of golf, our distillery occupies one of the most compelling sites in Scottish spirits. St Andrews is a genuinely special place with over a million tourists passing through each year. As the 2026 season gets underway, we’re adding to the excellent local offering with our distillery visitor centre.

“We have an incredible back-catalogue of award-winning spirits, but what excites me most are the spirits that are yet to come. We’re building a whisky programme that’s uncompromising in its ambition: a wood policy of serious depth and intention, underpinned by a distillate that’s been crafted by layering flavour at every stage of production. We’ll be bold in our decision-making in order to make the best whisky possible - and then we’ll take it to the world."

Tony Banks, chairman of company owner Ruby Capital, added: “We acquired Eden Mill because we believe in what it can become. It has an extraordinary location, a loyal following, and the infrastructure to grow into something significant.

“Appointing Steven is the most important steps we’ve taken since acquisition. He understands this industry from the ground up, he has the commercial ambition we need, and he shares our absolute commitment to making whisky of the highest quality. That shared goal is the foundation everything else is built on. We’re giving him everything he needs to take our spirits to the world stage."

Eden Mill was previously bought by private equity firm Inverleith in 2022, which planned to fund the construction of a new distillery on the Eden Campus at St Andrews University by 2023. However, project delays meant that the facility didn’t open until October 2025.

The new multi-million-pound site includes a 300-cask warehouse, the 40-seat Lookout Bar, a retail space, and an immersive experience programme built around whisky, gin and mixology.

The distillery has a production capacity of one million litres of alcohol per year.