[citation needed] The McEwan's ales were eclipsed by John Smith's Bitter and Belhaven Best and cask-conditioned beers such as Deuchars IPA, whilst the lager fell behind Tennent's.

[citation needed] The company was a sponsor of football teams in the 1980s and 1990s, including Rangers F.C and Blackburn Rovers.

[citation needed] William McEwan opened the Fountain Brewery in Fountainbridge, then a suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in 1856, using £2,000 loaned by his mother and his uncle.

[6] Beforehand, McEwan had engaged in industrial espionage at Bass and Allsopp's breweries in order to learn techniques and assay costs.

[7] After establishing a market share in the industrial regions of the Scottish lowlands, from the early 1860s, McEwan built up a successful colonial export trade by exploiting his family's shipowning connections.

[8] It was during this time that McEwan's India Pale Ale, the beer that was the foundation for much of the company's reputation, was first labelled Export.

[6] When the company was registered in 1889, it was worth £408,000 and had capital of £1 million; and was the largest brewery in the United Kingdom under a single owner.

[14] In December 1930, McEwan's merged with Edinburgh rival William Younger's Brewery to form Scottish Brewers in a defensive move after the Great Depression diminished revenues.

[17] In the early-1930s, Jardine Matheson approached the company regarding a potential brewing venture in China, but McEwan's did not welcome the threat to their export business.

[20] Scottish Brewers continued to increase its market share in the brewing sector, doubling its output after a costly five-year programme of expansion and modernisation undertaken between 1958-63.

[22] The company dedicated itself to the free trade, and promoted its brands to an extent not previously witnessed in the British brewing industry.

[22] McEwan's Export became one of the three core brands of the new company, alongside Newcastle Brown Ale and Younger's Tartan Special.

[23] The company's McEwan's Strong Ale was the highest gravity beer on general sale throughout the world.

[39][40] The new owners vowed to reintroduce McEwan's as a cask ale brand and launch an expanded premium bottled range.

[47] In April 2013, McEwan's Red was launched, aimed at younger drinkers and with the intention of expanding the brand into England.

[50] Throughout the Victorian period, and into the twentieth century, McEwan's drew heavily from imagery of the British Empire in its branding.

[59] The "alive and kicking" campaign for McEwan's Lager from 1986 until 1997 saw some of the most memorable and radical television advertisements yet produced at the time.