St. Magdalene The first recorded license holder was Adam Dawson in 1797. He was a spokesman for the Lowland distillers, and in 1829 A. & J. Dawson inherited the license. The distillery was located beside the main road between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Union Canal, opened between the two cities in 1822, and the railway, which began operation in 1842, greatly strengthened the distillery's position. This was a considerable enterprise with four stills (converted to indirect heating in 1971) and nineteen warehouses, one of which was constructed with "enormous" bricks (Barnard). A. & J. Dawson became a limited company in 1894, but entered liquidation in 1912 due to financial difficulties. In the same year, the distillery was incorporated into a new company bearing the same name, jointly owned by D.C.L. (Distillers Company Limited), John Walker & Sons, and J. A. Ramage Dawson & Co. In 1914, the board of directors, together with four other Lowland distilleries, jointly established S.M.D. (Scottish Malt Distillers) (see "Rosebank"). St. Magdalene was one of the victims of the 1983 economic recession, when S.M.D. had to close the distillery to bring inventory levels into line with anticipated future sales. The site has since been redeveloped for residential use.

The distillery's name originates from Saint Magdalene's Cross, a location near Linlithgow where the distillery was established in the late 18th century. This site also housed a同名 hospital and annual fair. The distillery was also known as Linlithgow. Linlithgow is renowned for its excellent water quality, celebrated in this old rhyme: Linlithgow for wells, Glasgow for bells, Peebles for clashes and lees (meaning 'lies'), And Falkirk for beans and peas. In the 16th century, this area was a center for milling and wheat production, and in the 18th century, it became famous for brewing and distilling. Saint Magdalene used water from the Union Canal for cooling and driving water wheels; process water came from the town supply, sourced from the Royal Loch (also known as Linlithgow Loch). The imposing Linlithgow Palace stands on the loch's shores. This 12th-century royal residence, with ruins dating from 1425-1630, was the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1542. In 1892, the late Colonel Lachlan Mackenzie Dow owned a "large valuable coffee plantation," estates in Kinross-shire, held the rank of Colonel in the Haddington Artillery Militia, and the distillery.