John Haig & Co, Markinch 1973

In the quiet town of Markinch, Fife, stands a reminder of Scotland’s golden era of whisky production—John Haig & Co. Established in the late 19th century, this site became a central hub for blending and bottling some of the most recognisable whiskies in the world.

The company’s operations in Markinch began in 1877, and by 1892, a bonded warehouse had been constructed to meet rising demand. The most iconic addition came in 1938, with the completion of the Coronation Bond—a vast five-storey Art Deco-style warehouse capable of holding 1.5 million gallons of whisky. At its peak in the 1950s, the Markinch site employed over 600 people and was producing over 1.25 million cases of whisky annually.

John Haig & Co was a pioneer in the whisky world. Its founder was among the first to adopt the continuous still at nearby Cameronbridge in the 1820s, which revolutionised grain whisky production. The brand’s famous Haig Gold Label and Dimple blends became household names, with the distinctive dimpled bottle first appearing in the 1890s.

Though John Haig & Co became part of the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) in 1919 and later Diageo, the Markinch facility remained a vital part of operations until its closure in the early 1980s. Today, the former warehouse complex has been repurposed as the Haig Business Park, but its red-brick façade and industrial character remain preserved. The main building is now Category B listed, recognising its architectural and historical importance.

While production has shifted to other sites, including Cameronbridge, the legacy of John Haig & Co in Markinch lives on—as a proud chapter in Scotland’s whisky story.