Founded in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail, 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. After John MacPhail’s retirement and James Gordon’s passing, both in 1915, John Urquhart became Senior Partner and in 1933 John was joined by his son, George.
Throughout his tenure, George developed a deep understanding of Scotch whisky, especially the unique interaction that occurs over time between spirit and cask. He understood the benefits of long-term thinking and continued to lay down whiskies to be matured for decades.
George is widely acknowledged to be one of the 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 purist form, as a single malt.
More recently, members of the third and fourth generations of the Urquhart family have continued to apply a century of experience to the whisky-making process, perfectly matching spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries to oak casks made to their exacting specifications. Each cask is then matured to its full potential, creating exceptional single malt Scotch whiskies found nowhere else in the world.
Gordon & MacPhail Whiskies is presented within four standard ranges: Private Collection, Connoisseurs Choice, Distillery Label, and Discovery, each comprising some of the rarest single malts in the world; genuine one-offs found nowhere else.
Periodically, Gordon & MacPhail releases a whisky under its Generations range. These whiskies are landmark moments for the sector – iconic chapters in Scotland’s liquid history, typically the oldest single malt Scotch whiskies ever released.
Gordon & MacPhail whiskies define the pinnacle of quality for single malt Scotch, as discerning drinkers all around the world will testify.
