The Dalmore distillery was officially founded in 1839, but its history dates much further back and the distillery has strong ties with the Highland clans. Descendants of Clan Mackenzie owned the Dalmore distillery for over half a century and are responsible for the notable deer-head emblem. As the story goes, Kenneth of Kintail, the chief of the clan, saved King Alexander during a hunt and was awarded the royal emblem, the stag’s head, as his family’s crest.