Gordon & MacPhail to close wholesale arm

Scotch whisky company Gordon & MacPhail is set to close its wholesale unit, as the company continues to shift its focus to its own spirits.

Earlier this year, Gordon & MacPhail set out plans to phase out its independent bottling business, in order to prioritise single malt production from its own distilleries. The 128-year-old company has announced it will now exclusively focus on producing and bottling whisky from the two distilleries that it owns.

As Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, Gordon & MacPhail has filled casks with distillate from 100 different distilleries, cementing itself as an essential part of the Scotch whisky industry.

“Gordon & MacPhail is in the process of winding down its UK wholesale business, which will mean the company will no longer distribute third party spirits, as part of the business strategy to focus on its own single malts, Scotch whiskies and premium spirits,” reports quoted David King, sales director, as saying.

Some of the wholesale business will pass to Perth-based drinks supplier Huffmans, who said Gordon & MacPhail would retire wholesale operations on October 5.

“We have been appointed by G&M to continue on with their third-party service and we’ll be one of a handful of suppliers carrying their exclusive own brands going forward,” Huffmans said.

Gordon & MacPhail owns Scotch whisky distillery Benromach on the outskirts of Forres, and The Cairn distillery near Grantown-on-Spey. Scottish gin brand, Red Door was added to the portfolio in 2018.

Earlier this month, Gordon & MacPhail added a 74-year-old single malt from Glenlivet Distillery to its Private Collection. Each bottle is priced at £35,000 with 192 available for sale.

From 2024, Gordon & MacPhail will cease filling spirit into cask from distilleries not owned by the company. However, the company said whiskies bearing the Gordon & MacPhail marque will continue to be released “for the next several decades”.