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Gordon &
MacPhail director Stephen Rankin
receives Master of the Quaich award in
recognition to his contribution to the
Scotch whisky industry.
Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige
and fourth-generation member of the
family owned and run Elgin based
independent whisky bottler and producer
Gordon & MacPhail was announced as a
Master of the Quaich at the biannual
Keepers of the Quaich ceremony at Blair
Castle, which recognises the outstanding
commitment of those who produce or
promote Scotch whisky.
To be inducted as a Keeper of the Quaich
is an honour bestowed upon a limited
number of people; to become a Master of
the Quaich is a special recognition of
those who have been inducted as a Keeper
over ten years ago, and have made an
exceptional contribution to the
industry.
Stephen, who is approaching his 20th
anniversary within the industry, said:
"It’s an honour to be inducted as a
Master of Quaich, keeping great company
among some of the whisky industry’s most
remarkable people, including some of my
peers at Gordon & MacPhail.
"Passion and dedication for creating and
promoting single malt whisky is
something that has been instilled by my
family for four generations, and it’s
something that I will continue to uphold
and progress in my responsibilities as
Master of the Quaich."
Guests at the prestigious event, which
saw five Masters and 44 Keepers
announced, were addressed by the
Olympian rower Dame Katherine Grainger,
who was also awarded the role of
Honorary Keeper of the Quaich.
Annabel Meikle, Director of The Keepers
of the Quaich, said: "It was a great
pleasure to invite Stephen to become a
Master of the Quaich. The accolade of
Master is truly special. Those who are
invited by the Management Committee have
made an exceptional contribution to the
Scotch whisky industry for a minimum of
ten years, but in reality most have had
at least double this length of service.
The title of Master has only been
awarded to around 200 members."
Stephen’s induction as a Master comes in
what would have been the centenary year
of his grandfather George Urquhart, who
played a huge role in the single malt
whisky industry and remains the only
person to have been awarded Keeper of
the Quaich outside of Blair Castle, when
the rules were waived and he received
his induction while in a nursing home.
The Society was founded over 35 years
ago and takes its name from the
traditional two-handled drinking cup
which is described in the ancient Gaelic
language of Scotland as a ‘cuach’ or
quaich, a vessel long associated with
friendship and the enjoyment of Scotch
whisky.
The family owned and run Scotch whisky
business has been bottling whisky for in
excess of 100 years now, established in
1895 to this day they continue to match
spirit to the quality oak casks which
are sent to distilleries throughout
Scotland, filled with new-make spirit,
and matured either at the distillery of
origin or in the firm’s own bonded
warehouse in Elgin.
In recent times the portfolio of
whiskies which Gordon & MacPhail offers
was streamlined, from April 2018 their
line-up of whiskies has looked liked
this:
- ‘Gordon & MacPhail Discovery’ –
Utterly dependable, this flavour-led
range is the perfect introduction to
our portfolio of quality single malt
Scotch whiskies.
- ‘Gordon & MacPhail Distillery
Labels’ – A range celebrating our
long-standing relationships with
Scotland’s distilleries.
- ‘Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs
Choice’ – The heart of our portfolio
- always unique, these
non-chill-filtered, natural
coloured, small batch expressions
are genuine one-offs.
- ‘Gordon & MacPhail Private
Collection’ – Greatly-aged single
malts from celebrated, little-known,
or closed distilleries specially
selected by members of the Urquhart
family.
- ‘Gordon & MacPhail Generations’
– A prestigious collection of old,
rare, and exclusive masterpieces.
You will find the current Gordon & MacPhail portfolio of whisky available
from specialist online whisky retailers such as The Whisky Exchange
and
Master of
Malt
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