It all began in 1863, when Robert McNish, a Glasgow-based tea, tobacco, wine and spirit merchant put his mind to creating a lighter Scotch whisky blend than those that were currently on the market. He took his experience from tea blends and transferred it to the art of blending whisky.
In 1887, his sons John and George had joined the business, and sales were so good that they had to look at investing in a larger property. Robert McNish died in 1904, four years before a London office was opened. After WWI, John sold to Canadian H. Corby Distillery Co. John and George passed away in 1943 and 1945, respectively. In 1991, the brand was acquired by Macduff International.