Eden Mill's online customers replace lockdown affected tourism figures as virtual gin tastings prove to be a smash hit
Scottish Government to put the country into lockdown, the spirits industry, which was beginning to really reap the benefits of an improved tourism offering, was hit hard.For bigger brands like Diageo and Chivas, this was bad enough but for smaller, independent distillers it was a major blow.For one firm, the St Andrews based Eden Mill, the lockdown was particularly worrying as tourism, both at their distillery and blendworks sites, was vital not only to providing income but also for interacting with customers.Like a growing band of fellow drinks brands - from gin and whisky to rum and wine - the answer came in an unexpected place.Just as sales of their gins were beginning to rise online (at the peak of the coronavirus affected