Gordon & MacPhail

History

Gordon & MacPhail was founded by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail in 1895 as a family grocer in the historic town of Elgin. In addition to provisions, Gordon & MacPhail sold wine and spirits. It was then normal for such businesses to source whiskies for their customers, as Chivas Brothers' origin in Aberdeen or Johnnie Walker's Kilmarnock roots attest. Situated close to the heart of Speyside's whisky industry, Gordon & MacPhail were ideally placed to build relationships with distilleries.

Less than a year after the business was founded, John Urquhart joined as an apprentice. Over the next two decades, he worked his way up to senior partner at Gordon & MacPhail, taking ownership in 1915. Over a century later, the firm is still overseen by the fourth generation of the Urquhart family, who remain deeply involved.

Whisky Experts

As noted earlier, it was common for Victorian merchants to source and bottle the drinks they sold, and Gordon & MacPhail was no exception. Where many independent bottlers today buy casks of mature whisky from a distillery or broker, Gordon & MacPhail purchased new-make spirit and aged it in casks of the company's choosing. Having control over this process allows Gordon & MacPhail to fine-tune the development and character of its whiskies, harmonising the character of the spirit with the influence of the wood.

The other aspect of its history that sets Gordon & MacPhail apart is its early focus on single malt whiskies. Blended whiskies have always been bigger sellers, but until the last few decades, single malts were an even smaller slice of whisky bottlings. Gordon & MacPhail pioneered bottling single malt whiskies under licence from distilleries, and judiciously laid down stock for the future, even during the uncertainty of the Great Depression and World War II. The company's emphasis on single malts and a willingness to age them for longer than the norm has paid dividends, establishing an impeccable reputation for the company.

Ranges

Gordon & MacPhail's releases might seem overwhelming at first, with so many different distilleries and bottlings, but they are arranged in a series of lines to help lead you to your perfect bottle:

The Discovery line is intended as an introduction to its portfolio, with single malts from highly reputable distilleries grouped into three flavour profiles: "Sherry", Smoky" and "Bourbon". As perfect a place to start as it is to deepen your knowledge of distilleries and styles.

The Distillery Labels line is a celebration of Gordon & MacPhail's longstanding relationship with over 100 distilleries across Scotland. It harks back to the early days of the company, when the agreement allowed the company to bottle the single malt with the distillery's own label, along with the caption "bottled by Gordon & MacPhail". Featuring beautiful historical label design, this range highlights older releases than Discovery, emphasising the character of the bottled distilleries

Connoisseurs Choice was created in 1968 by George Urquhart, a pivotal figure in the company and Scotch whisky more widely. The whisky writer Charles MacLean referred to him as "the father of single malt" and Mr George (as he was known) saw these bottlings as a platform to show the unique story of each release. Now, as then, the label explains the cask type, bottling date and vintage, and includes a tasting note. There have been more than 2,000 bottlings in nearly 60 years, every one a testament to that vision.

For truly special occasions, there is the Private Collection. Drawn from Gordon & MacPhail's enviable stocks of rare and extremely well-aged whisky casks, each bottling is personally selected by members of the Urquhart family. Beautifully presented, every single bottle is a chance to experience the combined centuries of expertise at Gordon & MacPhail, applied to only the finest whiskies.

Lastly, there are the Generations releases. These are as much historical markers as they are bottles of whisky. Drawn from the rarest, longest-aged whisky that Gordon & MacPhail has, they have repeatedly broken the record for the oldest bottled single malt Scotch whisky at the time of their release. Extraordinary releases such as 70-year-old Glenlivets, or a 75-year-old Mortlach cement Gordon & MacPhail's prowess and commitment.

Distilleries

Besides that incredible pedigree as maturers and bottlers of other people's single malts, Gordon & MacPhail had long-held a dream - to own its own distillery. That ambition dates back to John Urquhart himself, and was finally fulfilled when Gordon & MacPhail bought Benromach distillery in 1993. It had been mothballed since 1983, and the company had to refurbish the distillery before it could be opened in 1998 by the then-Prince Charles. Despite the modernisation work required to get Benromach operational again, the distillery character is intentionally that of Speyside's past, with a touch of peat smoke on a medium-bodied, fruity spirit.

Building on that success, Gordon & MacPhail opened The Cairn in 2022. The Cairn is a fascinating contrast to Benromach, with a modern design and ethos that will complement its sibling's more traditional output. In keeping with Gordon & MacPhail's long-term approach, the distillery's own single malts won't launch before reaching twelve years of age, in the mid-2030s.

The Future

Lastly, Gordon & MacPhail shocked the whisky world when it announced that it would cease filling spirit from other distilleries into cask in 2024. The nature of the whisky market has changed in the 130 years of the company's operation, and Gordon & MacPhail are adapting with it. While it marks a new era, this is not a reason to panic: Gordon & MacPhail have made it very clear that they have enough whisky maturing in warehouses to keep bottling for many decades to come.