Since reopening at its current location on the banks of the Eden Estuary in St. Andrews, the award-winning Eden Mill Distillery has been giving single malt fans the rare chance to invest in a special piece of Scotland’s history.
When the new distillery opens in 2023, interested parties can join The 1655 Club and purchase one of 300 specially selected barrels containing the first spirit to come off the stills.
The 1655 Club barrels will be kept in a secure location within the distillery known as “The Distiller’s Vault,” where they will be accessible to interested parties.
As a memorial to Robert Haig of Throsk, a distiller from the 17th century who was brought before the Kirk assembly in 1655 for violating the Sabbath by working on his still, a group of Scots got together and formed the 1655 Club.
Located on the banks of the Eden Estuary, Seggie Distillery ceased operations in the middle of the 1800s and began manufacturing paper instead. In 2012, Eden Mill opened the first brewery and distillery in the same location in Scotland, bringing back the city of St. Andrews’s reputation as a distilling center after 150 years.
Head distiller Scott Ferguson and his staff will keep a close check on each investor’s barrel as it ages, sampling the contents annually to gauge the spirit’s progress. Investors will get recommendations and information specific to their cask, and they will have the option of visiting the distillery’s hidden The Distiller’s Vault in St. Andrews to sample the spirit and learn more about the aging process.
The “Cask Mastery” at Eden Mill is something that we take great pleasure in,” adds Scott. We try hundreds of different high-quality barrels before settling on one that meets our exacting standards so that we may produce the most intriguing and original single malts.
An American ex-Bourbon barrel and a European ex-sherry cask were selected for The 1655 Club because they “will give a multitude of flavors, each pulled gently from the cask over time while it rests and develops in the Vault.”
The Eden Mill’s director of marketing, Matthew Turner, is overjoyed to meet whisky aficionados and potential backers. There aren’t many chances like The 1655 Club, so we’re thrilled to finally be able to throw up our doors and meet the people who have helped us get this far, as well as those who haven’t yet heard of us.
The 1655 Club offers investment opportunities beginning at £5,000. Financing is also a possibility. A VIP visit to the distillery once a year, discounts on certain Eden Mill goods and early access to future releases are all part of the package when you purchase ownership of one of the 300 barrels.