Glenugie was built in 1831 on the east coast of Scotland by Donald McLeod & Co. After being turned into a brewery in 1837, it was bought by Scottish Highland Distillers in 1875, who restored it to its original function. After changing hands several more times, it eventually became part of the Seager Evans group in 1937, which in turn was bought in 1956 by Schenley Industries, who incorporated the distillery into Long John Distilleries, using its production for the blend of the same name. As was the case for many others, Glenugie closed in 1983 at the height of Whisky Loch. The stock is today owned by Chivas Brothers, but few official bottlings of Glenugie exist. A handful of independent bottlings have nonetheless been released, many to great acclaim, such as those from Sestante.

A Glenugie 23 year old distilled in 1965 and bottled by Hart Brothers. Although the family had possessed a license to sell alcohol and run a pub since the 19th century, it was only in 1964 that Iain and Donald Hart founded Hart Brothers, with Alistair joining later in 1975 as Chief Blender responsible for selecting casks.