Ian MacLeod Distillers are one of the lesser-known independent distillers and bottlers in the UK, despite being among the largest Scotch whisky companies in the world.  The entrepreneurial blender and whisky broker Peter Russell took ownership of Ian Macleod Co. in the 1960s, rolling it into his father Leonard J. Russell's whisky broking business, and the company has remained in the family ever since.

Ian Macleod are well-known to single malt connoisseurs thanks to their now-dormant Chieftain's Choice and Dun Bheagan single malt whisky ranges, both of which released some outstanding whiskies in the 2000s, with particularly notable bottlings from Springbank, Brora, Rosebank and Islay distilleries including Port Ellen, Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Ian MacLeod have a diverse range of proprietary and independent bottlings, with their Smokehead and Isle of Skye whisky ranges and Edinburgh Gin among the most prominent of their brands in the UK. 

Ian Macleod Co. became Ian MacLeod Distillers in 2003 following their acquisition of the Glengoyne distillery. Tamdhu in Speyside was purchased in 2011 from the Edrington Group, and in 2017 it was announced that the company had acquired the lost Lowland distillery Rosebank from Diageo. Production at Rosebank recommenced in 2023, and the following year the far-sighted Russells opened a new distillery named Una in northern India. Ian Macleod's new Islay distillery Laggan Bay is currently scheduled to open later in 2026.