Buchanan Business Tower, previously known as Black & White Whisky Tower.
One of the most recognisable buildings in Stepps, back in its days the building had golden coloured windows that could been seen from miles away when the sun reflected off them,its now known as Buchanan Tower and the windows have been changed.
This was once home to whisky distillers James Buchanan & Co. Opened by Sir Alec Douglas-Home on 22nd May 1969, having taken over three years to build and at a cost of five million pounds, the blending and bottling plant employed over 800 locals producing four million cases of blended whisky each year. Twenty thousand casks of whisky, around eleven million litres, could be stored in the ten-storey tower at its full capacity. The plant was closed in 1987 as part of a business restructuring procedure involving the takeover of the company by Guinness. In the following years the buildings have been used as offices and storage for a number of companies.
James Buchanan began his whisky career in 1879 as a London agent, but it didn't take long for this savvy businessman to venture out on his own. He soon produced Buchanan Blend which became relied upon by many for its consistency and quality. It was marketed in a black bottle with a white label and customers simply started referring to Buchanan Blend as "that black and white whisky". Before the name of the blend was officially changed, another name was introduced. James won a contract to supply the House of Commons with whisky, hence the short-lived, new name of Buchanan's House of Commons Scotch Whisky. Although the name of the whisky had changed, it was still in a black bottle, it still portrayed the simple white label and customers still asked for the "black and white whisky". Buchanan - an animal lover - added the black Scottish terrier and the West Highland white terrier to the label and it was adopted as the brand's motif. It is still used today and is one of the world's most famous trademarks. Black & White Blended Scotch Whisky was first produced in 1884. It contains 60-65 percent grain whiskies including Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. James Buchanan had earned his place among the most important people in the world of whisky - Dewar and Walker. Buchanan and Dewar merged companies in 1915. The following year, they became part of Distillers Company Limited (DCL) which had then become United Distillers & Vinters (UDV) in 1987. The brand is now owned by Diageo.
It is claimed to be most successful in France, Venezuela, and Brazil. At present, the brand is not used within the United Kingdom.