John Alexander Dewar


(Lord Forteviot)

1856 - 1929

Whisky Baron. Born in Perth, Dewar was educated at the Academy in that town. Dewar, together with his brother Tommy Dewar (1864 - 1930), transformed their father's whisky merchant business into a multi-national conglomerate. He was the first to recognise the potential in selling whisky by the bottle to the general public rather than in casks to hotels and public houses. Dewar concentrated on the finances of the business, while his brother showed considerable skill in marketing. In 1925, the brothers took their company into the union which was the Distillers Company Ltd and both joined the board.

Dewar twice served as Lord Provost of Perth and was elected as Liberal Member of Parliament for Inverness-shire (1900-16). He was raised to the peerage as Lord Forteviot in 1916, the first of the 'Whisky Barons'.

Married twice, Dewar proved a generous benefactor to the town and people of Perth.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better