How to collect Gordon & MacPhail

Perhaps the most legendary independent bottling company, discovering how to collect Gordon & MacPhail bottlings at auction can be somewhat of a minefield. Over the years whisky from over 100 different Scotch whisky distilleries has been bottled under 16 different ranges, making collecting every G&M bottle a near impossible feat.

However, that doesn’t make Gordon & MacPhail any less special to collectors who will do their utmost to try to source as many bottlings as possible.

Founded in 1895 by James Gordon & John Alexander MacPhail as a grocery business in the heart of the Speyside region, Gordon & MacPhail fell into the hands of the Urquhart family from 1915 – and is still run by the family today. The company, and specifically George Urquhart who joined G&M in 1933, has been credited with building the single malt whisky category as we know it today, with famed whisky writer Charles Maclean referring to George as the ‘father of single malt’.

The reasoning behind this rather grand claim can be found when investigating the Connoisseurs Choice range, a selection of single malt whiskies bottled and released by Gordon & MacPhail from 1968. In the 60s and 70s whisky was still mostly sold as blends, with ‘workhorse distilleries’ creating gallons of liquid which was blended together and sold under famous brand names still recognisable today, including Johnnie Walker, Buchanan’s and White Horse. In what was seen as an unusual move for the whisky industry, George Urquhart made use of the unparalleled stocks of whisky casks stored in the G&M cellars to create Connoisseurs Choice, a range that put the spotlight on these whiskies in their simplest form, as single malt. His step in making these whiskies more accessible arguably began what today has become an obsession with buying and collecting single malt whiskies.

Over the years Gordon & MacPhail championed single malts as the licensed bottlers for historic Scotch distilleries including Mortlach, Strathisla and Glenlivet – giving the brands their own look and feel while the distilleries themselves could not justify bottling single malt. Relationships with distilleries coupled with the long-term mindset of the Urquhart family gave G&M unrivalled access to long-matured spirit, which has since led them to release some of the oldest single malts ever bottled. Their oldest to date is the 80 year old Glenlivet, laid down in first fill sherry butts in 1940 and bottled in 2020.

In 2018 Gordon & MacPhail rebranded their portfolio of whisky ranges to consolidate and simplify the selection available under the G&M name. The six ranges now available are: The Discovery Range, Speymalt from Macallan Distillery, The MacPhail Collection, Distillery Labels, Private Collection, and Connoisseurs Choice. At this time the much loved Connoisseurs choice brand had a refresh, creating a more modern look and feel for the bottles. In 2023 the company announced it would cease filling new casks for independent bottling releases in 2024 to focus on its own distilleries – Benromach which was purchased in 1993 and The Cairn in 2022.

While the new look bottles look beautiful in any whisky cabinet and we’re excited to see what is to come from the G&M owned distileries, we still have a soft spot for the old branding. Keep an eye out in our Whisky & Spirits auctions for fantastic releases from Gordon & MacPhail over the last century, including some of the highlights below.

For past prices of Gordon & MacPhail releases in our auction,see our monthly auction roundups.

Of almost 100 distilleries bottled under the Connoisseurs Choice range, around a quarter of these have sadly closed their doors. Now reopened Brora was one of these whiskies kept alive in the Gordon & MacPhail releases when it closed in 1983.

This Brora 1972 was bottled in 1973 as part of the legendary Connoisseurs choice range.

As one of the distilleries that Gordon & MacPhail created licensed bottlings for, they had access to some excellent old casks. This Mortlach was distilled in 1936 and released by Gordon & MacPhail in the 1980s.

Part of the ‘Distillery Labels’ collection from Gordon & MacPhail, this Strathisla 1963 was bottled in 1996. Despite being Scotland’s longest ‘continuously operating’ distillery, single malt releases are relatively few and far between. Since Strathisla was acquired by Chivas Brothers in the 1950s the majority of whisky produced there has gone into blends.

Another release from the Connoisseurs Choice range, the Ben Nevis 1972 19 year old was distilled a few years before the distillery temporarily closed its doors.

Bottled in 1995, this Ardbeg 1974 is another excellent example of the highly sought after releases that have come from the Connoisseurs Choice range over the years.