St Andrews’ Eden Mill Distillery enters ‘new chapter’ after naming new boss

As the firm’s new chief executive, Steven Kersley brings over a decade of senior leadership experience in the Scotch whisky and craft spirits industry to the post.

The appointment is said to mark the beginning of a new chapter for Eden Mill, which runs a state-of-the-art distillery near St Andrews with “significant capacity for expansion”, a visitor centre, and a top-floor cocktail bar with panoramic views across the Eden estuary.

Kersley’s appointment comes as the venture builds momentum under new ownership following its acquisition from administration, with a pipeline of whisky and gin releases planned, and the continuation of its private cask programme. International expansion also sits alongside UK growth as a “clear commercial priority”.

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’ll be bold in our decision-making in order to make the best whisky possible - and then we’ll take it to the world,” he added.

Tony Banks, chairman of Ruby Capital, said: “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 step 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’s flagship distillery and visitor centre opened on the Eden Campus, Guardbridge, in October.

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