Spirits producer Gordon & MacPhail cheers top young person's accolade

The firm has been named a Young Person’s Guarantee Employer after an assessment period which looked in detail at the support it offers to younger people and the career opportunities it provides those aged 16 to 24 years old.

The fourth-generation family-owned company is based in Elgin and is renowned as a Scotch whisky maturation expert. It also owns whisky distillery Benromach, on the outskirts of Forres, and The Cairn Distillery near Grantown-on-Spey.

Over the next 12 months, the business will offer seven modern apprenticeships, collaborate with schools and colleges to introduce more young people to the opportunities available to them, and offer further foundation apprenticeships.

Aimee Johnston, Donnie Geddes, Martin Forsyth, Libby Hunt, Kaylie Mcrae, Maya McNeil, Christopher Allan and Jodie Clayton. Picture: Ewen Weatherspoon

Alongside the apprenticeships, which cover many aspects of the business, from working in the distillery through to working in specialist roles such as finance or international sales, or within the operations team, the firm provides young people with career mentors.

Jodie Clayton from the company’s HR team said: “It’s particularly important to us at Gordon & MacPhail to create a diverse workforce that provides opportunities to people from all backgrounds and skillsets.

“There is a misconception that young people need to move away to a big city to pursue an exciting career, however we want to show that this isn’t the case, and that there’s a wealth of opportunity and talent to learn from in the local area if you know where to look.

“We have long been committed to developing our young workforce, now adding the introduction of modern apprenticeships to go alongside our existing foundation and graduate apprenticeships. Achieving the Young Person’s Guarantee employer accolade demonstrates our commitment to continue to provide opportunities for our future workforce and ensure we are an employer of choice.”

The news comes after the company announced solid profits for the financial year 2020-21, with total sales increasing by 1 per cent to £34.1 million and pre-tax profit growing from £9.8m to £13.9m. Scottish Gin brand Red Door was added to the group’s portfolio in 2018.

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