Gordon & MacPhail's Caol Ila 2003 Connoisseurs Choice

About Gordon & MacPhail

Situated in the Speyside region of Scotland, Glenburgie Distillery (pronounced glen-burg-ee) sits just off the main Aberdeen-Inverness road between the burghs of Forres and Elgin. The distillery was founded in 1810 by William Paul, who originally named it Kilnflat. In 1878, however, the distillery changed hands and was renamed Glenburgie. The distillery's unique location and water source — it is surrounded by temperate and fertile terrain and sources water from local springs on nearby Burghie Hill — contribute to the fruity, floral whisky that Glenburgie produces.

In 1935, the distillery was acquired by Hiram Walker; since then, the whisky produced at Glenburgie has been an essential component in Ballantine's Whisky. As a result, there are few official bottlings of Glenburgie Single Malt Whiskey and the chance to obtain one is exceedingly rare.

Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail is a family-owned, independent bottler of Scotch whisky. The company was founded by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail, who opened "in New, Centrical, and Commodious Premises, No's 38 and 40 South Street... a Family Grocers, Tea, Wine & Spirit Merchant,"reported the Elgin Courant on May 24, 1895. Among the company's first employees was John Urquhart, a fifteen year-old apprentice who helped James Gordon select and purchase casks of whisky to bottle and sell at the store. When MacPhail retired in March 1915, Urquhart became a partner in the business, and when Gordon died suddenly just two weeks later, Urquhart became the senior partner. By 1950, Gordon & MacPhail held one of the largest inventories of bottled malt whiskies in the entire world, many of which were not available anywhere else.