The blend Black & White was created by James Buchanan, who was born in 1849 in Ontario, Canada. Buchanan emigrated to England and worked for the blender Charles Mackinlay & Co. before teaming up with W.P. Lowrie to create his own blend, at the time composed of Clynelish, Dalwhinnie and Glendullan. It was a huge success and originally named House of Commons. It took its definitive name in 1902, however, after its minimalist black bottle and white labels. The business merged with John Dewar & Sons in 1915 before joining Distillers Company Limited in 1925, today known as Diageo, who continue to produce the blend.

A Black & White blend imported to Italy in the 1970s by Amerigo Sagna.