Gordon & MacPhail

A FAMILY COMPANY BUILT ON ABIDING VALUES

Gordon & MacPhail was established in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail. Both shared a taste for fine flavours and their Speyside grocery shop in Elgin soon became a beacon for quality produce, including Scotch Whisky. In the first year of trading a young apprentice, John Urquhart joined the business, helping to select and mature whiskies from local distilleries. After John MacPhail’s retirement and James Gordon’s passing in 1915, John Urquhart became the senior partner.

In 1933, George Urquhart, John’s son, joined the family business. George continued to nurture Gordon & MacPhail’s network of distillery partnerships. He also developed a deep understanding of Scotch Whisky, especially the unique interaction that occurs over time between spirit and cask.

George is widely acknowledged to be one of our industry’s true pioneers. In 1968, when the vast majority of spirit went to make blended whisky, George created the Connoisseurs Choice range to provide little-known distilleries a platform to have their whisky enjoyed in its simplest form, as a single malt.

Like his father, George saw the benefit of long-term thinking. Knowing full well that he wouldn’t be around whenseveral whiskies would reach their pinnacle decades later, he continued to lay down spirit in his own casks undeterred by anything other than an ultimate respect for the whisky.

More recently, members of the 3rd generation of the Urquhart family have continued to build on firm foundations and today several of the 4th generation are actively involved, employing the same passion and respect to help creating future legacies.

“PRIVATE COLLECTION” RANGE

The Private Collection range features a truly exceptional and unique collection of greatly aged single malts from a mixture of celebrated, little-known and now closed distilleries across Scotland. Personally selected by members of the Urquhart family, each release is a unique and exquisite chapter in Scotland’s whisky history.

“CONNOISSEURS CHOICE” RANGE

Created in 1968 by whisky visionary, George Urquhart, over the years this range has featured single malts from almost 100 Scottish distilleries. Each Connoisseurs Choice whisky tells its life story through its label: cask type, bottling date, strength, vintage and tasting note. The range has featured more than 2,000 individual bottlings over the decades.

“DISTILLERY LABELS” RANGE

The Distillery Labels range is testament to the long-standing and unique relationships built over generations with Scotland’s distillery owners. For more than 120 years, we have been entrusted with new-make spirit from many of Scotland’s distilleries to mature in our casks, our way.

“DISCOVERY” RANGE 

The perfect introduction to our portfolio, the Discovery range has been created to provide an introduction to single malt whiskies from some of Scotland’s most admired distilleries. Each expression sits within one of the bold flavour profiles of ‘Sherry’, ‘Smoky’ or ‘Bourbon’, making these single malts ideal for the whisky-lover who enjoys exploration through flavour and character.

Contact us for our extensive offers of Gordon & MacPhail’s bottlings

“When you see one of the unique single malts from Gordon & MacPhail, recognize the moment and reward yourself with a truly exceptional experience”