Originally named Tochineal by the founder Alexander Wilson in 1824 and later taken over by his nephew John Wilson who elevates the distillery into a thriving business. In 1970 the rent suddenly doubles and Uncle Sandy (as John Wilson is known) is forced to close as the distillery is financially unviable. But in 1971 Uncle Sandy moves to the Murray coast just on the outskirts of Buckie (where the rents are lower) and Inchgower distillery was born.

In 1885, the well-known whisky writer, Alfred Barnard visited Inchgower and wrote: "... The buildings which are made of stone and slate are built in the form of an oblong quadrangle and cover nearly four acres of ground…. A modern work, and is fitted up with all the up-to-date enhancements of machinery and vessels."

Inchgower was genuinely independent - the distillery had its own cooperage and forge, and also provided accommodation for the distillery workers. However, this didn't stop the proprietors' Alexander Wilson & Co. from going bankrupt in 1936. The distillery was purchased by the Buckie Town Council for the bargain-basement price of 1,600 pounds. They made a small revenue when they traded it to Arthur Bell & Sons in 1938 for 3,000 pounds.

Arthur Bell & Sons hardly made any adjustments to the distillery until 1966 when they refurbished the distillery and increased the number of stills from two to four, This, in turn, doubled the capacity. The malt whisky distilled at Inchgower ultimately became a vital element in the Bell's blends. That wasn't the only blend it was used for though - it's a component of the Johnnie Walker and White Horse blends too.

In 1985 Arthur Bell & Sons were acquired by Guinness, which changed into UDV (United Distillers & Vintners) in 1987, together with DCL. This company was one of the forerunners of industry giant Diageo.

The distillery has a stainless-steel semi-lauter mash tun and six Oregon pine washbacks. In 2006 and 2007 Inchgower was shut for renovation for almost a year. One of the most important changes was the fitting of a so-called 'closed yeast pitching system' that supplies yeast to the wash robotically. This novelty gives more control over the style of the whisky but is slightly 'conventional'.

In 2012, The Inchgower was shut for four months for a wide refurbishment of the distillery increasing yearly production to almost 3 million litres of spirit.

Bottles of Inchgower display the distillery emblem of an Oyster Catcher, a bird that is a yearly visitor to the area.