'Lovely' bar and shop in Scottish seaside town has closed - as owners focus on new venture
A business thought to be Scotland’s first dedicated cider bottle shop has closed.
The owners of Aeble, a dedicated cider shop and bar located in Anstruther have announced its closure.
Jaye and Grant Hutchison opened Aeble, which is Danish for apple, five years ago in the popular Fife seaside town.
Selling specialists, small ciders and perries from independent and local producers; the shop expanded into a bar area in 2023.
Earlier this year the couple launched the sell-out Ubhal Cider Gathering in Edinburgh - a festival they hoped would push the often overlooked alcoholic beverage into the spotlight.
But now due to a ‘focus on priorities’ the couple have decided to close Aeble, with the last trading day on 25 July.
In a statement on social media the couple wrote: “After five wonderful years of running Aeble, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors. We are incredibly proud to have opened Scotland’s first (and still only) dedicated cider bar and shop.
“Over the years, we’ve had so many fantastic experiences and have met, worked with, and learned from some truly wonderful people. Aeble helped us settle into a new community and introduced us to many people who are now among our closest friends.
“To everyone who subscribed, visited the shop, attended an event, stopped by for a chat, or simply supported us along the way – thank you. We hope you’ve enjoyed being part of Aeble as much as we have, and that we’ve helped you discover a few new ciders and experiences along the way.
“While we’re closing this chapter, we’re not saying goodbye to Aeble completely. We’ll still be part of this year’s Forgan Art Festival on August 1st and open to pop-up opportunities and potential plans in the future. For now, however, many of you will have seen that we have an exciting new venture: @bonn_pizza
“As exciting as this next step is, it’s also incredibly demanding. To give it the time and energy it deserves – and to make sure we still get to spend time with each other and our family – we’ve decided it’s time to focus our priorities.
“It’s a telltale sign when I realised there are no photos of us together in the last year or so, and we do actually like hanging out! We will open for one last day on July 25 for many drinks and reduced prices both online and in-store, and we’d love to see you there. (Closed until then)
“We truly can’t thank everyone enough for the support you’ve shown us over the years. We have had SO much fun! A special shout-out goes to our family for the extra childcare, encouragement, and emotional support that made so much of this possible.
“To any subscribers – we will email you separately but if you’ve already paid this month you’ll still get your order. Thank you for being part of our journey. We hope you’ll continue exploring and enjoying great cider for years to come.”
Grant Hutchison, the former Frightened Rabbit drummer, stepped away from full-time touring in 2018 following the death of his brother and bandmate, Scott Hutchison. While that marked a profound turning point in his life, his interest in cider had been fermenting for years beforehand.
Speaking ahead of the festival this year Mr Hutchison said: “When we were touring, especially in places like Bristol, I’d bring cases of cider back up with me because you just couldn’t get the good stuff in Glasgow.
“I’d see this whole world of small producers making incredible cider and then come home and find none of it on the shelves: it was always just the usual suspects like Strongbow and Bulmers. There was such a gap there. People didn’t know what they were missing.
“Music is precarious and I was always thinking ahead to what I’d do in my 40s. I probably would have opened some sort of cider shop or bar regardless, I just didn’t realise it would happen in quite the way it did.”
Speaking on our Scran podcast, Mr Hutchison explained that the couple always wanted to open a small bar after spending time in Tokyo on their honeymoon. After moving to St Monans from Glasgow in 2020, the couple saw a sign in a shop window in Anstruther and “thought it looked like a good spot to have a little cider bar.”
Before opening Aeble, Mr Hutchison had established a wholesale cider distribution business supplying bars and restaurants in Scotland. But relocating to Fife made servicing the central belt impractical and forced a rethink.
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