Mannochmore was founded in the 1960s to meet the growing demand for whisky. Primarily used to produced whisky for the Haig and Dimple blend, it is today known to collectors for its iconic black whisky Loch Dhu. This whisky, which was highly criticized for its unnatural colour when it was first released, would return sometime later on the secondary market.

A Mannochmore 22 year old distilled in 1974 and bottled at cask strength in 2002 for the Rare Malts series. Created in the mid-1990s by United Distillers (Diageo), the Rare Malts series features bottlings from many of the group’’s distilleries, including some of the lesser known whose production was generally used for blends, as well as closed distilleries such as Port Ellen and Brora. Bottled at cask strength, the whiskies in the range are also known for their sometimes astounding alcohol content, often exceeding 60% ABV. The Rare Malts range was discontinued in 2005.