Peated
Gordon & MacPhail opened as a grocer and wine and spirit merchant on South Street, Elgin, on 24 May 1895.1,2,3 John Urquhart joined as an apprentice in 1896 and became its sole owner in 1915.1,2,4 The firm bought Benromach distillery in 1993, and its second distillery, The Cairn, made its first spirit in July 2022.1,2,5 In July 2023 it said it would stop filling casks at distilleries it does not own from 2024.3,6,7
George Urquhart became senior partner in 1956.8 Speymalt Whisky Distributors, the company that trades as Gordon & MacPhail, was incorporated in 1962.3,9 In 1968 George launched Connoisseurs Choice, a range of single malts from distilleries across Scotland.1,4 At the time, blended whisky dominated the market.1,4 His eldest son, Ian, who had joined in 1967, became managing director in 1990.1 In 1991 the firm moved from offices above the shop to George House on Boroughbriggs Road.1,2,4
Owning a distillery had long been the family's aim, and Benromach was silent when the firm bought it from United Distillers.1,2,4 Prince Charles officially reopened Benromach in 1998 after the firm re-equipped it.1,2,3 Stephen Rankin, John Urquhart's great-grandson and the first of the fourth generation, joined full time in 2000.1 When Ian retired in August 2007, his brothers David and Michael became joint managing directors.1 On 11 March 2010 the firm launched its Generations series with Mortlach 70 Years Old, then the world's oldest bottled single malt Scotch whisky.1,3,4 David retired in October 2012, and Michael became managing director.1
Ewen Mackintosh became chief operating officer in September 2014, after Michael Urquhart retired.1 He became managing director in 2017.1 In 2018 the firm sorted its bottlings into new ranges, including Connoisseurs Choice, Private Collection and Generations.4 Neil Urquhart, Ian's son, became non-executive chairman in 2020.1
In 2019 the firm won planning permission for The Cairn, a new distillery in the Cairngorms National Park.1,5,10 It sits on the banks of the River Spey at Craggan, just outside Grantown-on-Spey.4,5 The Cairn opened to visitors in October 2022.4,10
The South Street shop closed on 31 December 2022 for a multimillion-pound refit into a whisky visitor attraction.11,12 The shop moved to the High Street, at the entrance to the St Giles Shopping Centre.11,12 After that centre went into administration, the firm opened a temporary shop and tasting rooms on the Johnstons of Elgin site on 1 March 2025.3,13,14
The firm said its time as an independent bottler would slowly end over the coming decades, as it focused on Benromach and The Cairn.3,6,7 In September 2023 it began winding down its UK wholesale business and stopped distributing other firms' spirits.15
On 10 January 2024 the firm named Phillip White chief executive, to join in April 2024.16 White left in May 2025, and chairman Neil Urquhart became acting chief executive.14 On 17 September 2025 the firm named Mark Geary, its interim chief executive, as chief executive.17
Bottles in Peated bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, by release year.
| Year distilled | Bottles |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 8 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 22 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 | 14 |
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