SCOTCH whisky and gin distiller Eden Mill has formed a new board shortly after Edinburgh investment firm Inverleith LLP acquired a majority stake in late January.
Drinks industry veteran Stella Morse, chief financial officer of Inverleith and a former senior executive at Scottish & Newcastle, The Edrington Group and C&C Group, has been appointed chairman, while Rennie Donaldson, a former group financial controller of Edrington and head of corporate development at William Grant & Sons, joins the board as the distiller’s new chief operating officer.
The new board at the St Andrews-based distiller also includes Paul Skipworth, managing partner of Inverleith and a former chief executive of Glenmorangie, and Michael Atkinson, senior investment director of Inverleith and a former executive of Bacardi Martini and Moet Hennessy.
Eden Mill co-founder Paul Miller will continue to serve as managing director following the Inverleith investment.
Ms Morse said: “I’m delighted to be joining the board of Eden Mill as chair. The foundations of a premium global gin and Scotch whisky brand have been laid over the last few years, with Eden Mill producing beautiful and award-winning gins and its early limited-edition single malt Scotch being well received.
“The unique distillery site secured by Eden Mill with a sustainability agenda at its heart, working collaboratively with the renowned University of St Andrews, will become an icon of gin and scotch whisky distilling in the future. There’s an exciting journey ahead and I’m looking forward to working with Paul Miller, the founder and managing director, together with my experienced colleagues on the board, to oversee the journey of this contemporary gin and Scotch whisky distillery.”
Eden Mill said in January that the investment by Inverleith would support its development of a new “climate positive” distillery in St Andrews, which is due to open in late 2022, and help it expand distribution in the UK and internationally.
Mr Miller said: “One of the main reasons for linking with Inverleith as our majority investor was due to the deep wealth of spirits industry experience that they collectively bring to the table. With the further addition of Rennie as well, I am delighted that the company will benefit from a board with such extensive industry experience, which will be incredibly valuable as we continue on our growth journey and realise our ambition.”
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