Strathisla distillery is the oldest continuously operating distillery in Scotland. It was founded as the Milltown Distillery by George Taylor and Alexander Milne in 1786 as an alternative to the waning of flax dressing industry. They leased the land from the Earl of Seafield.

By 1830, the distillery was owned by William Longmore, later William Longmore Ltd. In 1879, the distillery suffered terribly from a fire, but was rebuilt with a bottling plant. Bought in 1940 by Jay Pomeroy, a fraudulent financier, it was later acquired in 1950 by James Barclay of Chivas Bros.