Gordon Mitchell arrived on Arran from Cooley’s Distillery in Ireland in 1994 to help set up the new Arran Distillery at Lochranza. The distillery was duly opened in the summer of 1995 and two years later the new Visitor Centre was opened by her Majesty The Queen.

During the intervening years, Gordon has been at the helm, producing beautiful whisky and receiving visitors to Lochranza from all over the world.  He has also travelled to many of the world’s top whisky markets, making friends wherever he goes.

The whisky which he has lovingly produced over the years has won a total of seven Silver Medals at the International Wine and Spirits Competition – the global “Oscars” of the drinks business.  Helped by a hardworking sales team in Stirling, Arran Single Malt is exported to more that forty countries around the world and was this year voted “Scottish Distillery of The Year” in a poll by Whisky Magazine.

As Douglas Davidson, Managing Director of Arran said at Gordon’s retiral presentation “I worry about many things in the business, but the one thing I never have to worry about is the quality of the spirit which Gordon produces.”  Retiring after twelve glorious years at the helm, Gordon was given a private dinner at the Auchrannie Hotel by the Directors and Management team of the Company who were joined by a selected guest list from within the global whisky industry.

At a celebratory lunch in the Visitor Centre the following day, the Chairman of the Company, Mike Peirce, honoured Gordon by naming the new warehouse after him.  Douglas Davidson appointed Gordon a “Lifetime Ambassador of Arran” and principal shareholder Leslie Auchencloss presented Gordon with an oil painting of his favourite cask, specially commissioned by the Directors and staff of the Company from Ian Gray, a celebrated artist well known throughout the whisky community.