Gordon & Macphail

Gordon & MacPhail is one of Scotland’s most respected and long-established independent bottlers and distillers, known for its unparalleled cask stocks, exceptional single malts, and commitment to maturation excellence. Founded in 1895 in Elgin, Speyside, by James Gordon and John MacPhail, the company has spent more than a century selecting, maturing, and bottling whisky from distilleries across Scotland, often releasing expressions at ages and vintages rarely seen elsewhere.

A Heritage Built on Patience

From its earliest days, Gordon & MacPhail combined the role of a high-quality grocer with that of a whisky merchant. The founders, and later the Urquhart family who joined in the early 20th century, focused on building long-term relationships with distilleries, filling spirit into their own carefully chosen casks and then maturing it for decades in their Elgin warehouses.

This patient approach allowed Gordon & MacPhail to develop one of the most diverse and valuable collections of maturing Scotch whisky in the world, a library of casks spanning multiple decades, distilleries, and styles.

Independent Bottling Excellence

As an independent bottler, Gordon & MacPhail has released whiskies from over 100 different Scottish distilleries, including closed and rare names such as Port Ellen, Glenugie, and Rosebank. Their bottlings often carry vintages going back to the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, offering drinkers a chance to experience historic distillate styles.

Every bottling is:
• Non-chill filtered for full texture and flavour.
• Natural colour to preserve authenticity.
• Matured in casks selected for their ability to enhance, not overpower, the spirit.

In-House Distilleries

In addition to bottling from other producers, Gordon & MacPhail now owns and operates its own distilleries, allowing them to shape spirit from grain to glass. These include:
• Benromach Distillery - a boutique Speyside producer revived by G&M in 1998, known for its lightly peated, traditional style.
• The Cairn Distillery - opened in 2022 near Grantown-on-Spey, designed to produce premium single malts with a focus on flavour innovation.

Core Ranges

Gordon & MacPhail offers several distinct bottling ranges:
• Connoisseurs Choice - single malts from a variety of distilleries, often at cask strength or unique cask finishes.
• Distillery Labels - long-standing agreements with distilleries to bottle single malts under bespoke labels, sometimes the only official single malt representation from those distilleries for decades.
• Private Collection - rare and old casks selected for outstanding quality.
• Generations - ultra-prestige bottlings of some of the oldest Scotch whiskies ever released, often over 70 years old.

Flavour and Style

While each bottling reflects its distillery of origin, Gordon & MacPhail whiskies are united by a hallmark of balance, depth, and maturity. Expect refined integration of oak and spirit, with well-preserved distillery character even at advanced ages.

Our Selection

Our Gordon & MacPhail range showcases everything from accessible, characterful Connoisseurs Choice single malts to once-in-a-lifetime Generations bottlings. Whether you’re seeking a unique cask finish, a long-aged rarity from a closed distillery, or a piece of Scotch whisky history, Gordon & MacPhail offers an unmatched breadth and depth of choice.

With over 125 years of expertise and cask stewardship, they continue to set the benchmark for independent bottlers worldwide.