It was founded as the Milltown distillery by George Taylor and Alexander Milne in 1786 as an alternative to the waning of the 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.[5]
Scotland's Malt Whisky Trail is a tourism initiative featuring seven working Speyside distilleries including Strathisla, a historic distillery (Dallas Dhu, now a museum) and the Speyside Cooperage. According to a BBC article, visitors can tour the "traditional warehouse where the single malts that make up the premium and super premium blends are stored ... [and try the] distinctive mellow honey flavour, offering a full, nutty, balanced whisky".[6]