Robert McNish & Co, wholesale wine & spirit Merchants, 47 East Howard Street, Glasgow.
Mr Robert McNish. 1892.
Mr Robert McNish was the senior partner and founder of this extensive establishment. He was widely known all over Scotland and England as a shrewd businessman, whose career has been distinguished for unimpeachable integrity and upright dealing.
Mr McNish was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, he moved with his parents to West Kilbride where he received his education. He came to Glasgow in 1858 with a good education and procured employment with the well known firm Matthew Algie & Co., tea merchants. He remained with the firm for 5 years and it was here that he got his training in business.
Robert next became a partner with Thomas Henderson for 5 years before starting out on his own as a wholesale tea, wine & spirit merchant. As a blender of whisky McNish soon became well known in Scotland and England for his special “Doctor” blend of old scotch, which did an increasing export trade. His two sons John and George both good linguists, and as such did most of the foreign correspondence connected with the business. George went on to retail and owned the Smiddy Bar, Dumbarton Road. The two sons travelled all over the world selling McNish whisky including the Doctor blend.
Robert McNish built a very fine villa at Seamill, West Kilbride where he retired, in his spare time he was a conservative in politics, he was a member of the Incorporation of Weavers and a member of the Merchants House, he was a loyal and devoted Freemason.
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