The distillation of whisky in Scotland has been documented since 1494, but the industry as we know it today really started after the Excise Act of 1823. Between 1823 and 1825 the number of legal distilleries rose from 125 to 329. However, a significant number of these closed within a few years.

Over the last 30 years about 40 distilleries have either been closed or demolished and currently there are just over 90 distilleries still operational in Scotland. Recently, there has been a considerable growth in consumer interest in Single Malt Scotch Whiskies and a number of distilleries now market themselves as brands.

A more recent development has been the growth of Independent Bottlers bottling single casks of Malt Whisky. A distillery bottling is produced by vatting together a great number of casks prior to bottling. As there can be a large difference between the quality of whiskies in individual casks this vatting is necessary in order to ensure a consistent product, which is of paramount importance to the distillery's brand.