Send us Fan Mail Interesting things about the distillery:take their name from the Gaelic for “Black Rock.”The main Speyside part of Johnnie WalkerHelen Cummings and her husband, John, started the distillery in 1824The distillery was sited high up on Mannoch Hill, above the River Spey, due to the peat softening the water.Helen was the distiller. Since the distillery was on the top of the hill, she could see the authorities coming. She would put flour on herself to say she was baking to c...