Latest news with #Gordon&MacPhail
Press and Journal
25-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Neighbour complaints force luxury apartments vision for former Johnston Carmichael headquarters to be scaled back
Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals across Moray. Sit back and enjoy all of the most interesting planning news. In this week's edition, we move a step closer to the transformation of a former office above Costa in Elgin into a church. Plans to build a swimming pool at a home near Lhanbryde have been given the go-ahead. Meanwhile, proposals to transform an Elgin town centre building have been reduced after neighbours raised objections. But first, we look at a whisky giant's work inside a former home to create offices. Gordon & MacPhail wants to transform an unused attic at Benromach House in Forres into offices and breakout area. According to a building warrant, the work could cost around £30,000. The former home is located right next to the Benromach Distillery on Invererne Road. Last year, Moray Coastal Baptist Church moved into premises above coffee giants Costa in Elgin town centre The entrance for the space at 1 Commerce Street is at the side of the coffee shop. This church is described as a 'Bible-preaching Baptist Church'. Now a building warrant has been approved for £7,500 work to make internal changes to transform the unused office into a church and provide use for associated social activities too. However, the church is still waiting for planning permission and listed building consent. In February, we previously exclusively revealed the transformation. Christopher Roberts has given the go-ahead to build a domestic swimming pool at Greenfields, Bogton Farm near Lhanbryde. The drawing shows there will be a changing room, sauna and steam room. This swimming pool will have a capacity of around 65,000 litres. S Reid Design represented him in the proposals. In December, we revealed Tulloch of Cummingston wanted to transform Commerce House on South Street to house 28 new apartments. The proposals included 18 luxury flats and six serviced apartments. Meanwhile, the existing flat roof access structure would have been replaced with a mansard roof to accommodate four penthouse apartments with roof balconies. The transformation also included a basement area gym facility for residents. The traditionally-built three-storey office block had previously been leased by Johnston Carmichael before the accountancy firm left for Elgin Business Park. In November, the building was sold for £500,000 at auction. Auctioneers Acuitus had promoted the building as a 'potential redevelopment opportunity' with a guide price of £100,000. Five months on, the four penthouse apartments proposed as part of the plans have been removed. This has reduced the number of apartments planned from 28 to 24. It comes as neighbours have raised privacy concerns with 15 objections have been lodged. One said the balconies would affect people's privacy by overlooking gardens and homes. Meanwhile, another claimed another storey to the building would make it 'even more imposing and ugly'. It is hoped the proposals will breathe new life into the Elgin town centre building.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scotch distiller Gordon & MacPhail sees CEO depart
Phillip White has stepped down as the chief executive of Gordon & MacPhail after just a year in the role. White, who took up the position in April last year, described his departure in a social media post as a decision made with 'mixed emotions'. On LinkedIn, he wrote: 'After an incredibly rewarding year as CEO at Gordon & MacPhail, I will soon be stepping away from the role due to a change in our family circumstances.' A spokesperson for Gordon & MacPhail confirmed to that chair of the board Neil Urquhart will take over as acting chief executive "in the meantime". They added that White 'left the business to pursue other opportunities and interests'. At the time of his appointment last year, Gordon & MacPhail said White, a former Bacardi and Brown-Forman executive, would focus on international growth 'as [the business] moves into its next chapter of development'. Reflecting on his time at the company on LinkedIn, White said: 'I leave with immense pride in what we have achieved together over the past year. I have had the privilege of leading a talented and passionate team through a period of transformation, intelligent innovation and profitability'. He also highlighted several milestones reached during his time at the helm, including 'delivering strong profit growth despite a challenging market environment, implementing a refreshed strategy that's both commercially successful and culturally resonant and building a stronger and more unified leadership team and empowering talent across the business'. Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail is a family-owned premium spirits company headquartered in Elgin, Scotland. Its portfolio includes brands such as Benromach, The Cairn, and Red Door. The company owns two distilleries in the renowned Speyside region in Scotland. The Benromach Distillery in Forres, Moray, and The Cairn, near Grantown-on-Spey, which opened in October 2022. In its most recent full-year results for the period 29 February 2024, the group's sales declined 26% on 2023 to £34.4m ($46.1m). Pre-tax profit tumbled roughly 75.3% to £4.3m on the year prior. "Scotch distiller Gordon & MacPhail sees CEO depart " was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Herald Scotland
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
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. Read more: 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.
Press and Journal
18-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Step forward for Gordon & MacPhail's transformation work and takeaway plans for former Elgin High Street bakery
Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals across Moray. Sit back and enjoy all of the most interesting planning news of the week. In this week's edition, work could take place at a Batchen Street shop. A new pharmacy could be on the way for Elgin town centre. We look at the latest on the transformation of a former Elgin bakery into a takeaway. There is also an update on the major makeover taking place at the Gordon & MacPhail building on Elgin's South Street. But first, we look at the latest regarding plans to breathe new life into a derelict Elgin pub site. Last month, we revealed how Springfield Properties wanted to build eight new flats on the site of the former Pinegrove Hotel site in Elgin. The land in the east of the town has been empty for almost six years. Each apartment will have an open plan kitchen and living area, two large bedrooms and plenty of storage. Now a neighbour has described the flats proposals as 'excessive'. However, they neither object or support the plans. They added: 'Also, I am concerned who these flats are to be allocated to. 'I can only hope, if this planning goes ahead, that families or couples are given the opportunity of housing and not young single people.' In March, Ramsdens opened a new Elgin store at 12 Batchen Street. The store was previously home to the LCTG hairdressers. The pawnbroking and jewellery chain opened up the new shop after being made homeless by the closure of the St Giles Shopping Centre. The firm has had a presence in the town for 10 years. Now building papers have revealed proposed £30,000 worth of internal alterations to the layout of the shop. In 2010, Smillie's bakery closed down at 212 Elgin High Street. The original shop, which faces Elgin High Street, has already been been converted and presently operates as a nail studio. Meanwhile, the back premises have been under-utilised for storage. It was used for deliveries of raw materials and packaging until the bakery shut down. Three years ago, Jennifer and Neil Taylor of Sanus Moor Limited had their plans to transform the storage section into a takeaway refused. Planning chiefs argued the proposal failed to comply with the local plan requirements. The Taylors appealed the decision. However, councillors voted 4-3 on the Moray Local Body Review to uphold the decision. Last year, plans for the takeaway were approved after they were resubmitted . Now a building warrant has been approved for the £30,000 worth of work which will include upgrading floors, walls and ceilings. It is a shell warrant which focuses on the framework of a building before the interior fit-out. Architectural And Planning's Martin Archibald represented the pair. A new pharmacy could open in the Elgin town centre. NHS Grampian has been consulting with Elgin Pharmacy, which is the proposed name of the business, who have applied to open a new pharmacy on the High Street. The proposed opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 5:45pm. Meanwhile, on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm. Elgin Pharmacy has defined the community area they would serve as being within the town of Elgin in its entirety. If the application is approved, the proposed NHS services include unscheduled care, clinical space rental, Naloxone training and supply and much more. The local health board will assess if the residents feel a new pharmacy is necessary or desirable. The consultation is currently being run until Wednesday, September 17. In December 2022, we exclusively revealed Gordon & MacPhail wanted to carry out a multimillion-pound makeover of their South Street shop. It will incorporate displays, tasting rooms and a liquid library of some of the world's rarest whiskies. Around three years on, scaffolding is still up on the iconic building. Now the whisky giants have been given permission to replace the sash and case timber windows as well as gutters and downpipes. In the meantime, the firm have a new retail shop and whisky tasting rooms at The Courtyard on Newmill Road at the site of Johnstons of Elgin. Retail manager Fraser Robson previously revealed to councillors on the licensing board that the firm needs the premises for at least 18 months and maybe up to two years.
Mint
09-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
What the India-UK FTA means for whisky lovers — beyond Glenlivet and Glenfiddich
Barely hours after India and the UK finalised their multi-billion-pound Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Tuesday, Hemant Rao's cellphone started buzzing with calls and emails. 'These were mostly from whisky exporters from the UK who wanted to get a better idea of the Indian market,' says Rao, founder of the Single Malt Amateurs Club (SMAC), which has about 7,500 members globally. 'This will come as a huge boost to Scotch,' he says of the FTA. The India–UK agreement aims to deepen trade ties by cutting tariffs across sectors. For whisky, it's a landmark move. India is the world's largest whisky market by volume, and Scotch its most coveted import. Under the FTA, the import duty on UK-origin whisky will drop from 150 per cent to 75 per cent immediately, and further to 40 per cent over 10 years — making premium and rare expressions as well as low-key brands such as Mortlach, Old Pulteney, and Tomatin far more accessible to Indian drinkers. While the development has unsettled Indian distillers — particularly those in the growing premium space — it also opens up new possibilities. Lower duties reduce the cost of imported Scotch used in blends, improving margins for many Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brands. But for Indian single malt makers, who've spent the last decade building a reputation, this will mean tougher competition. 'This development is particularly promising for Indian whisky brands that depend heavily on bulk malt imports from the UK, positioning them for greater growth. While we've already seen strong momentum in premium malts over the past five years, I anticipate this progress will significantly accelerate, leading to an even richer and more competitive premium whisky landscape in India,' says Rao. And that means the whisky lover in India can now look beyond the Glenlivets and Laphroaigs and get introduced to both lesser-known but highly rated Scotch whisky brands as well as offerings from boutique and small bottlers. Low-key brands such as Mortlach, Old Pulteney, and Tomatin will soon become more accessible to Indian drinkers. Independent bottlers are family-run outfits that buy barrels from distilleries and release them under their own label. Names like Gordon & MacPhail, Douglas Laing, and Signatory Vintage rarely make it to our shores, mainly due to regulatory complexity and high duties. With the FTA lowering that barrier, one can expect these bottles to finally reach Indian shelves through specialty importers. 'Gordon & MacPhail have been recce-ing the Indian market for a while, and that is likely to happen now,' says Rao, who also expects the likes of Port Askaig to consider India more seriously. Port Askaig was set up by Sukhinder Singh, the London-based co-founder of The Whisky Exchange, the world's biggest online whisky retailer, and owner of Elixir Distilleries. Named after the port village on Islay's north coast, Port Askaig offers a range of expressions, including an 8-year-old, 100 Proof, and limited editions. Older Scotch has always been prohibitively expensive in India. Even 18-year-old expressions come with bloated price tags due to the duty structure. For the moneyed but cautious whisky lover, the Glenfiddich Gran Chateau 31 YO ( ₹ 2.5 lakh) will appear to be a lot less of an extravagance once the new prices kick in. The tariff reduction also makes it more viable for importers to bring in aged and rare stock, especially from distilleries like Glendronach, Ben Nevis, or Balblair, which aren't mainstream but have cult appeal. Scotch whisky isn't always about heritage, bagpipes, and pristine glens. There are some great new brands as well. Ardnamurchan Distillery, which commenced production in 2014, is one of them. Located in the Western Highlands, on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, the peaty, brine-y whisky is highly rated by aficionados such as Rao, who also expects English single malts such as those from The Lakes Distillery to find their way to India. 'The revised import landscape could finally make India commercially viable for smaller, boutique distilleries,' notes Rao. The Lakes single malt Blended Scotch is often perceived as inferior to single malts, especially in India, but there's a rising craft movement in the UK where new-age blenders are creating excellent small-batch blends. Brands like Compass Box and Woven are leading this shift. These could find a space as the market matures. Earlier this year, Diageo hosted several dinners across India for wealthy whisky lovers in order to gauge their appetite for the company's global Casks of Distinction programme. The programme allows clients to own a fully mature cask of whisky, sourced from a range of some of Scotland's most storied distilleries. While laws in India regarding cask ownership remain complex, the FTA could lead to greater participation from Indian buyers in such models, especially if partnered with luxury importers or clubs.
