Scotch whisky chief quits Elgin-based Gordon & MacPhail
The departure of the food and spirits drinks industry veteran follows a 13-month spell at the helm of the family-owned firm. Mr White joined the business, which began life as a greengrocer in 1985 and established its reputation as a Scotch whisky bottler before becoming a distiller in its own right, in April 2024.
He was previously managing director Kent Frozen Foods and Medina Foodservice, prior to which he had a career in marketing, sales and distribution within the food wholesale and spirits sectors. This included 10 years with Bacardi and Brown-Forman.
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A spokesperson for Gordon & MacPhail said: 'I can confirm that Phillip White, chief executive at Gordon & MacPhail, has left the business to pursue other opportunities and interests. Neil Urquhart, chair of the board, has in the meantime stepped into the role of acting chief executive.'
Gordon & MacPhail owns two distilleries, Benromach in Forres which it acquired in 1993, and The Cairn near Grantown-on-Spey which it built and opened in 2022.
In July 2023, the company announced that from 2024 it would no longer fill casks with spirit from distilleries it does not own, having effectively secured a pipeline of its own single malt from its own whisky making sites.
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