Four Highly Respected Moray Licensees Honoured for Outstanding Contribution to Moray Licensed Trade

Four highly respected Moray licensees have been honoured by the Moray Licensing Forum for their outstanding contribution to the licensed trade at a special awards presentation held at Gordon & MacPhail’s Benromach Distillery in Forres on Monday 26th March 2012.

The awards, sponsored by Gordon & MacPhail, acknowledges the professional manner in which the establishment has been run, length of service as well as the positive contribution the individual has made to the local Moray community, tourism and society.

The recipients of the awards are Wilma McBain – The Grouse Inn, Cabrach, Joseph Brandie – Fiddichside Inn, Craigellachie, Elsie McWhirter – Spar Shop, Buckpool, Buckie and Catherine Longmore – Costcutter, C&W.A. Longmore, Rothes.

The four licensees are either over 80 years of age and still running licensed premises or are an individual whose family have had the establishment for over 60 years and they continue to run the premises on a daily basis. The announcement comes during the Diamond Jubilee year celebrating Her Majesty’s

60th year on the throne, whilst remaining an active and enthusiastic octogenarian.

Linda Davidson, Convenor of Moray Licensing Forum said: “Our four recipients have all made an exceptional contribution to the licensed trade in Moray. Throughout their careers they have acted in a totally professional manner to run their establishment, whilst serving their communities to the highest

possible standards.”

David Urquhart, Joint Managing Director at Gordon & MacPhail said: “As a long established wine and spirits merchant, serving the licensed trade in Moray, Gordon & MacPhail is delighted to support this initiative. We congratulate the recipients of these awards who are all shining examples of responsible

license holders. They are a credit to the communities they serve and to the wider Moray economy.”

Attending the awards will be representatives from The Moray Council, Trading Standards, Moray Licensing Board, Local Licensing Forum, Grampian Fire & Rescue, Grampian Police, NHS Grampian, Drug and Alcohol Awareness Partnership, Moray Economic Development and Gordon & MacPhail.

Notes:

About Gordon & MacPhail:

Gordon & MacPhail is an independent, family-owned spirit and wine merchant who have been based in Elgin, Moray, since 1895. Four generations of the Urquhart family have continued the tradition of seeking out the best and rarest Scotch whiskies.

Since its founding, Gordon & MacPhail’s policy has been to send casks to distilleries throughout Scotland, fill them with ‘new make’ spirit and mature them either at the distillery of origin or in the firm’s own bonded warehouses in Elgin.

Now one of the world’s leading malt whisky specialists, Gordon & MacPhail exports to more than 55 countries. It offers more than 300 presentations of own-bottled Single Malts. In 2009, Gordon & MacPhail was awarded the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

In 1993 the company purchased Benromach Distillery in nearby Forres. After extensively re-equipping the distillery over a five year period, Benromach was officially opened by HRH Prince Charles in October 1998. The award winning range includes Benromach 10 Years Old and Benromach Organic – the world’s first single malt to be fully certified by the Soil Association.