Sandy Grant Gordon, 1931-2020

The patriarch of the William Grant & Son Distillers, Grant Gordon was the personal sponsor of countless piping competitions and causes for more than 50 years, among them the Glenfiddich Championships, the Silver Chanter, the Captain John A. MacLellan Memorial Medal, and the Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping.

He had a personal devotion to Scottish culture and piping in particular. While many piping events were aligned with his various brands, he often contributed silently in the background, insisting on little or no recognition.

Sandy Grant Gordon discreetly continued a sizable amount towards the final steps in the completion of the National Piping Centre, in return asking only for a room to be named for his “Uncle Frank,” Francis Collinson.

pipes|drums was able to sit down with him in 2015 for an exclusive interview, accompanied by his daughter, Maggie, and Liz Maxwell, his lifelong friend and employee, who continues to contribute her vision for many of the piping causes now sponsored by the William Grant Foundation.

On behalf of the world piping and drumming community, our sympathies go to Sandy Grant Gordon’s family and friends at this sad time.

We thank him for his massive contribution to the support and promotion of piping worldwide, a profound legacy that will live forever.

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Sandy Grant Gordon: the pipes|drums Interview
January 23, 2016