Gordon & MacPhail appoints operations director
Independent Scotch whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail has appointed Stuart Urquhart to the newly created position of operations director.
Gordon & MacPhail’s Ewen Mackintosh (left) with Stuart Urquhart (right)Part of the fourth generation family that owns Gordon & MacPhail, Urquhart will also join the company’s board of directors.
As operations director, Urquhart will focus on distillation, maturation and bottling of the company’s whiskies and gin, as well as looking after health and safety, compliance, property and maintenance.
Gordon & MacPhail’s portfolio includes the Benromach Distillery and its gin brand, Red Door Gin. The firm is also building a second distillery as it strives to grow whisky sales.
Ewen Mackintosh, managing director of Gordon & MacPhail, said: “Our plans include the development of a second distillery as well as investment in both infrastructure and assets to increase demand for our whiskies and gin in the UK and internationally.
“The appointment of an operations director is the next step in this journey and Stuart’s expertise and experience in the industry will be integral to our future success.”
Urquhart boasts more than 10 years of experience working in Scotch whisky production and maturation.
Earlier this month, Urquhart selected a 70-year-old Grant 1948 whisky to be bottled by Gordon & MacPhail – the oldest expression from the Speyside distillery to date.
Gordon & MacPhail’s sales grew 11% to £31.4 million (US$41.2m) in the year ending February 2018.
International sales grew 22% to £10.9m (US$14.3m), with UK sales at £20.5m (US$26.9m), up 6% from the previous year. Profit before tax increased by 26% to £5.1m (US$6.7m).
Stuart Urquhart commented: “Following in the footsteps of my great-grandfather, grandfather and father, it is a privilege to continue to invest in the success of Gordon & MacPhail by nurturing our existing stocks of Scotch whisky that have been passed down by previous generations.”
Last year, The Spirits Business spoke to Mackintosh about Gordon & MacPhail’s plans to modernise. The company streamlined its range in 2018 with a new design for its portfolio to highlight its maturation skills.
