George Strachan Ltd was founded in Royal Deeside by George and Mary Strachan in 1926, and was later incorporated in 1950 as a ‘family grocer, wine merchant, fruiterer, fish merchant, and ironmonger’. It began bottling its own whiskies around the late 1960s, and released a series of single grain expressions under its own label in 1981-82.

George Strachan reveals its Highland sense of humour through the names of its blended brands, which include Old Cobblers, Heebie Jeebies, Grog Blossom and Pheasant Plucker. However, the merchant has also proven itself a serious independent bottler, having been well ahead of its time in bottling well-aged, high-strength whiskies, such as a 39-year-old Mortlach at 86 proof (49.1% abv), as early as the 1970s. George Strachan also bottled single grain whiskies from North Of Scotland and Cambus in the early 1980s, also an unusual practice given the general disinterest many of the early independent bottlers paid to grain whisky at the time.

The merchant’s former outlets in Ballater (closed in 2025) and Braemar (closed in 2011) have proven popular with royalty, with visits paid by members of the royal family while staying at nearby Balmoral Castle. George Strachan has received Royal Warrants from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, and also previously held a Royal Warrant from the Queen Mother between 1974 and 2007.

George Strachan passed away in 1995, followed by his wife, Mary, in 2016. The business was run by their son, George William Strachan and younger generations of the family. Today's operational store is based in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire.