Diageo, as the successor to Distillers Company Limited (DCL) and Guinness, is the biggest producer of Scotch whisky and dominates in both distilling and blending.  It also owns more Scotch whisky brands than anyone else. To it rightfully falls the honour of being the custodian of the most extensive archive of Scotch whisky in existence. This covers its many production units (both malt and grain distilleries) as well as the numerous brands it has marketed since the inception of DCL in 1877.

Christine McCafferty is the Keeper of the Diageo Archive, which is held at Glenochil House, Menstrie, Clackmannanshire FK11 7ES. It is an Aladdin's Cave of whisky trove and Christine and her colleagues are only too happy to help serious researchers with their projects, whether these relate to any of the numerous house brands, from the most famous such as Johnnie Walker and White Horse, to the more obscure ones such as John Begg and Old Cameron Brig, or to existing or defunct distilleries. Over 100 distilleries in Scotland are  - or have been - owned or partially owned at different times by Diageo and its associated companies, plus various others in Ireland, England and North America.

Christine has been of great assistance to us in getting Whisky Journeys off the ground and we would hereby like to acknowledge her professionalism and dedication and to thank her for her support, as no doubt would many other whisky writers and historians who have called on the extensive resource base of the Diageo Archive over the years.

A detailed insight into DCL can be found in "The History of the Distillers Company: 1877 - 1939" by Dr. R.B Weir and copies can be ordered at the Whisky Library. Dr. Weir is working on a second volume to cover the latter half of the company's existence.