Whisky specialist revamps and streamlines its portfolio
GORDON & MacPhail, the family-owned whisky firm, is to relaunch its entire portfolio of single malt whiskies as it looks to streamline its range and make its various brands more recognisable to customers.
The Elgin-based firm is organising its whiskies into five distinct brands: Discovery, Distillery Labels, Connoisseurs Choice, Private Collection and Generations. Each range will have its own look and identity.
Connoisseurs Choice is the first range to be relaunched, with Discovery due to follow shortly after, Distillery Labels in the summer and Private Collection in the autumn. The Generations launch is still to be confirmed.
The revamped Connoisseurs Choice range is a selection of small-batch single malts bottled as vintages and ranges in price from £70 a bottle up to £500. Each whisky is non chill-filtered, with the gold-labelled bottles 46% ABV, the grey-labelled bottles cask-strength and the red-labelled bottles finished in different types of wood.
Stephen Rankin, director of prestige and a fourth generation member of Gordon & MacPhail owners the Urquhart family, said the firm is streamlining its portfolio “to make it more accessible for our consumers, placing their desire for products with heritage, authenticity, and provenance at the heart of each range”.
“We want to take malt whisky lovers on a journey that will help them explore beyond their usual whisky choices,” said Rankin.
The relaunch coincides with the 50th anniversary of the range, which was launched by George Urquhart in 1968.
Rankin said: “When my grandfather launched Connoisseurs Choice, he was considered eccentric for taking such an innovative approach.
“This range provided an opportunity for whisky lovers to explore whiskies that had never previously been bottled as single malts.
“As a result, he is heralded as one of the pioneers of the single malt category.
“Our Connoisseurs Choice range remains true to my grandfather’s vision and philosophy while placing a greater emphasis on small-batch, single and multiple casks, bottled as vintages. We hope consumers will look forward to each limited release.”
