Gordon & MacPhail are toasting triple success. The Elgin-based whisky specialists won the Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year and Whisky Retailer of the Year – Single Outlet awards, while recently retired managing director Michael Urquhart was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Icons of Whisky Awards
The Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year award went to Susan Colville, Brand Home Manager at Gordon & MacPhail owned Benromach Distillery.
“I’m thrilled to have won this award, but more importantly I’m delighted for the team that works so hard to make a visit to Benromach a pleasure,” said Mrs Colville, who won the Young Ambassador of the Year at the 2012 Icons of Whisky Awards.
The judges said: “As Brand Home Manager, Susan is the welcoming face of the distillery, offering tales from her travels and stories of her life growing up in Speyside. The distillery centre team, with Susan at the helm, offers a rare experience. You can enjoy a unique and personalised tour, followed by a dram and chat.”
The Whisky Retailer of the Year – Single Outlet award went to the company’s spiritual home, its shop in South Street, Elgin, which was opened almost 120 years ago.
The judges said: “It is still going strong to this day and is known for the aroma of home cooked local gammon and cheese which greets customers on arrival.
“The store boasts a Whisky Room which stocks around 1,000 different single malts attracting people from all around the world. This ‘Aladdin’s Cave of Whisky’ is a must see, especially if you are after the very old or rare.”
Inclusion in the Hall of Fame is a permanent tribute to individuals who have made a lasting contribution to whisky, and Mr Urquhart joins his brother David, also a former Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, who was inducted last year.
