The science of distilling: an evolving career with Eden Mill
A chance tour of Eden Mill opened the doors to a dream job in brewing and distilling for Scott Ferguson (MPhys 2011). He shares the highlights of his journey from St Andrews physics undergraduate to head distiller at Eden Mill St Andrews.
In 2006 I made the move from Fort William to St Andrews to start my degree in Physics. I was attracted by the small size of the town and by the closeness between the town and student communities. It felt comfortable to me – like a home away from home.
From beach bonfires to brewing and distilling
Most of my time was taken up with lectures and lab work (I chose to focus on practical modules as much as possible) and that love of being hands-on has continued into my career to date. When I wasn’t studying, I was working with my hall committee to run events. And, like every student at St Andrews, I enjoyed having easy access to the beaches, where my friends and I sat around many a bonfire over the years! Those friendships I made at St Andrews are still some of the strongest I have.
University was far more than just a qualification. Working with different people at St Andrews, making new friends and developing organisational skills also gave me a great foundation for my future career.
This became obvious when, after finishing my degree, I embarked upon a postgraduate course in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt. It was a distance learning course, which suited me as it allowed me to live back at home in Fort William and work in The Whisky Shop where my keen interest in all things whisky began (it was one of my earliest summer jobs). My role there enabled me to gain invaluable experience in the industry.
A series of fortunate events
I heard that a new brewery had opened in Guardbridge and decided to call up and ask if I could have a look around while I was visiting friends in St Andrews. As luck would have it, they agreed!
The head brewer was on annual leave during my visit and my luck continued when I was offered a week of work as practical experience. I jumped at the chance!
At the end of the week, the brewery manager offered me a full-time position and, before I knew it, I had relocated to Fife once again, and I have never looked back.
Processes and product development
I have had an incredibly exciting 11 years at Eden Mill, starting as a brewing assistant and progressing to head distiller. Over that time, I have been involved in all aspects of spirit creation, from day-to-day distilling to product development and creating new recipes. It has been wonderful playing a pivotal role in the brand’s growth and success alongside leading the development of whisky and gin production from 2014.
What’s next
I am excited about what comes next.
Personally, I would like to continue my exploration into flavours and different combinations, taking inspiration from other cultures and new recipes and thinking about how they can be incorporated to create interesting products.
Eden Mill is entering an incredibly significant year with the opening of its new distillery, which is being built on the banks of the Eden Estuary in Guardbridge. We’ll continue to produce contemporary Scottish gins and – this year – will restart distillation of our premium single malt scotch whiskies.
We also have new gin and whisky visitor experiences in the pipeline that will explain to visitors how we craft our award-winning single malts and gins.
In addition, we have formed a private cask single malt whisky ownership programme to offer people a unique opportunity to share in our story and own a piece of this iconic town. The first 300 casks we released sold out in a matter of weeks and the second phase of that programme is now live.
It has been an amazing experience to be part of the new distillery build. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I feel very proud and very fortunate to have carved out my career with Eden Mill.
Studying for a Physics degree gave me the grounding required for my chosen path: the scientific processes, the analytical focus on data, statistics and equations. All of this has been invaluable in helping me to gain a detailed understanding of my field and to apply that in my role.
To find out more about Eden Mill visit: Eden Mill Private Cask Owners Club