Jobs saved as Eden Mill Distillery acquired from administration

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 24 November, 2025

The St Andrews-based Eden Mill Distillery has been acquired from administration, saving the jobs of all 42 staff.

St Andrews Brewers Limited, which owned Eden Mill, was placed under administrators Kenny Craig and Kevin Mapstone of Begbies Traynor on 18 November, after a period of restructuring for the business, which was in high levels of debt.

Following a marketing campaign and other efforts to secure a buyer, Ruby Capital has taken ownership of the business and assets of Eden Mill for an undisclosed sum, preserving jobs and protecting the future of the distillery.

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Thomas McKay (pictured), managing partner of Begbies Traynor in Scotland, who ran the restructuring, explained: “The whisky sector as a whole continues to have a number of challenges at this time, largely as a result of the ongoing recession in the global whisky market.

“Eden Mill experienced a drop in sales and delays in the opening of its flagship visitor centre in St Andrews, which took around 12 months longer than expected to open its doors, creating cash flow difficulties for the business.

“With 42 jobs at risk, an accelerated sale took place to preserve value in the business and assets and to restructure the core business. The Eden Mill brands and assets have now been sold to the new owners, and all employee jobs have been saved as part of the restructure.”

In October this year, Harpers reported that Eden Mill had officially opened its new distillery and visitor centre on the University of St Andrews Eden Campus, creating 18 new jobs in the local area.

McKay extended his thanks to St Andrews University, as the landlords of the business, for “their assistance and support during this restructure”.

Begbies Traynor is a leader in restructuring services for the whisky sector in Scotland – it has restructured several Scottish distilleries and other spirit brands in 2025, as a combination of factors have impacted whisky businesses after the covid boom in the sector.

There has been an overall downturn in the global whisky market, which Begbies Traynor attributed to a host of factors, including changing consumer behavior, rising operating costs, falling exports and reduced consumer demand for alcohol overall.

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