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 27 year old distilled on 18 October 1977 and bottled on 30 August 2005 by the Scottish bottler Signatory Vintage for the Cask Strength Collection. This is a limited edition of 220 bottles aged in hogshead no. 5506. Signatory Vintage was founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington, who previously worked at Prestonfield House, Edinburgh, where he would select casks specially for the hotel. In 2002, he bought the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry, in the Highlands of Scotland and moved Signatory Vintage vintage to the site, including the warehouses opposite the distillery.