Crabbie

John Crabbie & Co is a historic Scottish spirits brand with origins dating back to 1801, when Miller Crabbie established his distillery in Edinburgh's Leith district. The distillery began producing grain whisky in 1852 and operated until the mid-1860s. Beyond whisky, the company became renowned for its gin and fruit wines, with Crabbie's Green Ginger Wine emerging as its most iconic product—a spiced fortified wine that became a staple in British drinking culture. In 1963, the distillery was acquired by the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), the predecessor to Diageo, which subsequently integrated production with its Speyside Balmenach distillery operations. During the 1980s, DCL sold John Crabbie & Co Ltd to Macdonald & Muir, then-owners of Highland Queen blended Scotch and Glenmorangie single malt, relocating ginger wine production from Leith to their Broxburn headquarters in West Lothian. The brand changed hands again in 2007 when it was purchased by Halewood International, a Liverpool-based drinks conglomerate. Under Halewood's ownership, John Crabbie & Co has experienced a revival, re-entering the whisky market with a range of expressions including blended Scotch, single malts, and innovative flavored whiskies, while maintaining its legacy ginger wine production. The brand represents a unique intersection of traditional Scottish heritage and modern innovation, appealing to both nostalgic consumers and new whisky enthusiasts.