The oldest distillery in the north of Scotland. In the 13th century Dominican monks used a spring nearby to provide water for the brewing of beer. The same water with a touch of calcium hardness and scarcely any peat character has been used in the distillation of whisky since at least 1786.

Strathisla, which has also been known as Milltown began its life as a farm distillery. It started to take its present shape from the 1820s onwards, especially after a fire in 1876. In 1950 it was acquired by Seagram.