Cockburns of Leith was once one of the most well known wine merchants in the British Empire.
It served a host of notable clients including King George IV and famous authors Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens from bases in Edinburgh, London and even India. The specialist wine merchants were established in 1796 by brothers Robert and John Cockburn in order to take advantage of an upwardly mobile social class, following the enlightenment.
They have been well-known in the capital since their inception and remembered to this day through Cockburns Port. The wine producing firm was founded by Robert after serving as a soldier in Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars.
