Family-owned Scotch whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail has announced the appointment of Stuart Urquhart as operations director.
Stuart was previously associate director of whisky supply at the Elgin-based spirits company.
A member of the fourth generation of the Urquhart family that owns Gordon & MacPhail, Stuart now joins the company’s board, helping to drive forward the future expansion of the business which includes Benromach Distillery in Forres, its gin brand Red Door Gin, developing the company’s second distillery and building sales of Gordon & MacPhail whiskies.
Stuart Urquhart’s newly created role as operations director will focus on distillation, maturation and bottling of the company’s whiskies and gin as well as additional responsibility for health and safety, compliance, property and maintenance.
Having spent more than a decade developing his understanding of Scotch whisky production and maturation, Stuart applies his expertise to growing the company’s single malt Scotch whisky inventory by sourcing new make spirit from distilleries across Scotland and matching it to the highest quality casks before laying these down for future generations.
He will continue to be the custodian of the company’s liquid library, which includes some of the oldest and rarest single malt Scotch whiskies in the world. Earlier this month, Stuart Urquhart personally selected a 70-year-old Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 1948, the oldest bottled expression from the Speyside distillery.
Ewen Mackintosh, managing director of Gordon & MacPhail, said: ‘The appointment of Stuart Urquhart to the board of Gordon & MacPhail represents a key milestone in the company’s strategy for growth.
‘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.’
Stuart said: ‘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.
‘A cornerstone of the Urquhart family philosophy is to lay down whisky for the future, strengthening the business for subsequent generations while supporting our plans for international growth.
‘As demand for our whiskies, as well as our new gin brand, continue to grow, we are expanding our operations division to support this. I look forward to contributing to its ongoing success.’
At Gordon & MacPhail, Stuart has built his knowledge of the industry as whisky supply executive, before being promoted to whisky supply manager in 2014.
Speymalt Whisky Distributors Ltd, trading as Gordon & MacPhail, announced record results in its latest set of audited results to end of February 2018.
Sales from its main trading activity increased by 11% to £31.4 million. International sales were up 22% to £10.9m with UK sales at £20.5m – an increase of 6%. Profit before tax increased by 26% to £5.1m.
Gordon & MacPhail also operates a wholesale business in the United Kingdom selling premium Scotch whiskies and spirits, along with a high quality retail outlet in Elgin.
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