That’s the spirit: Drinks firm ‘embraces new ideas’ to unveil visitor centre plan
A Scottish drinks producer has submitted ambitious plans for a multi-million pound premium visitor experience just metres from its current headquarters in Fife.
Eden Mill is pursuing its £4 million project to create a new distillery, visitor centre and brewery within the former paper mill buildings at the University of St Andrews’ Eden Campus in Guardbridge.
Up to 50,000 people are expected to visit the site, with a dedicated minibus service being laid on to and from St Andrews for organised groups taking part in distillery walkabouts, and gin and whisky tasting tours.
The blue print has been a number of years in the making, but a formal planning application seeking a change of use for former paper mill building 68A has now been lodged with Fife Council.
As well as the proposed distillery and brewery expansion, a new visitor centre is envisaged along with a café/bar, shop, presentation room and a VIP tasting area on the top floor of the distillery offering views over the university campus and estuary.
Paul Miller, co-founder of Eden Mill, said: “It’s the right time for Eden Mill to move forward with plans for a new distillery and brewery.
“We have always been pioneering, and this expansion can open the door to new productdevelopment and continued success.
“To stay competitive, the spiritsindustry in scotland needs to embrace new ideas and experimentation while respecting its heritage and traditions, particularly with whisky.
“At this new site, Eden Mill will be in the perfect position to invest in new products and lead the way with innovation.
“We firmly believe that this development will greatly benefit the local area and the wider Scottish economy, which is always what we have set out to achieve as a business.”
After brewing began on site in 2012, Eden Mill has quickly developed into a household name in the drinks industry and became Scotland's first combined brewery and distillery when it began the production of Scotch whisky and gin in 2014.
Eden mill, who wong in of the Year at the Scottish Gin Awards in 2018 for Original Gin, anticipates 40 per cent of visitors to the distillery will arrive at weekends, with a peak weekly figure of 1,500 expected during the summer months, with its gin distillery tour being one of the most popular in Scotland.
Last week, the specialist gin maker transformed Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols store in the heart of the New Town for four days, it follows a string of events in the capital including the Blendworks Gin school which gave guests the chance to create their own gin and mix their very own flavours.
Based on the historic site of the Seggie Distillery, run by the Haig family until 1860, Eden Mill were Scotland’s first single site brewery and distillery and the first to make spirits in the region for 150 years. In 2015 they created Love Gin, which quickly one of the UK’S first and most successful ‘pink gins’.
A number of distilleries, including johnnie walker have recently launched visitor experiencesto capitalise on growing tourist interest, with Johnnie Walker Princes Street opening in September this year.