In the early 19th century, due to the heavy taxes on spirit production imposed by the government, many whisky producers were forced to operate illegally.

[4] In the 1820s an act of Parliament was passed, which reduced the cost of the licence required to distil, and the duty payable on spirit sales.

[8] In April 2003, Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd. acquired Glengoyne Distillery, and the 'Glengoyne Single Malt' and 'Langs Blended Whisky' brands.

[6] Glengoyne Distillery is situated at Dumgoyne, on the south-western edge of the Scottish Highlands, close to Loch Lomond and to the north of Glasgow.

[6] Glengoyne is located immediately adjacent the West Highland Way, the most popular long walk in Scotland, and regularly enjoys visits from hikers.

[6][9][11][12] The distillery has been in continuous operation producing Highland single malt whisky for over 175 years[4] with a current distilling capacity of over one million litres of alcohol and over 35,000 visitors per annum.

[13] Glengoyne and Bruichladdich,[14] is one of only two distilleries remaining today that uses Golden Promise barley, which is low in yield but high in quality.

[16] This rare characteristic is utilised in the marketing of Glengoyne with the use of the promotional slogan "The authentic taste of malt whisky untainted by peat smoke".