Following a long battle with cancer, David died on Monday at his Findhorn home, with his family by his side.
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| David Alistair Urquhart 1952 - 2015 |
One of the third generation of the Urquhart family who own Gordon & MacPhail, David was most recently a Non-Executive Director, having retired as Joint Managing Director in 2012.
A high point in David’s career was, along with his father and siblings – Rosemary, Ian and Michael – fulfilling the family’s desire to own a distillery; an ambition realised in 1993 when the company bought the Benromach Distillery.
In 2013 David became the sixteenth inductee into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame. He became a Master of the Quaich in 2008 and was immensely proud when his twin sons were made Keepers of the Quaich earlier this year.
Paying tribute to David, Ewen Mackintosh Chief Operating Officer of Gordon & MacPhail, said: "He was a wonderful character and a born salesman who played a huge role in the company. A legendary figure in the whisky industry he spent many years promoting the virtues of malt whisky and Gordon & MacPhail. It was a job he loved and at which he excelled. We will all very much miss his drive, energy and enthusiasm.”
In his latter years in the family business David had the chance to combine work with pleasure when Benromach became sponsor of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 2009. David revelled in the chance to spend time with the legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who became Benromach’s Global Brand Ambassador.
Posted by Steve Rush