A BOOK detailing one of Alloa’s most famous sons, John Jameson, is one that should make for a fascinating read for local history buffs.

Written by one of his descendants, and creator of children's TV favourite Balamory, Brian Jameson, it takes readers on the journey of how 'JJ' went on to create one of the most famous whiskey brands - and yes they do spell it with an 'e' - in the world.

He explained: “There’s a wealth of information that’s around the subject but you have to trawl through it to get to the facts and they were very different to what I had been told.

"I always knew about John, but I didn’t know how it all came about. It satisfied my curiosity. You have all these things you want to find out about and that’s what it’s done.”

The book tells the history of Alloa, and what the town has gone through over the years, from Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite rebellion through to the industrial revolution.

Brian said: “Because he spent the majority of his life there the book goes through many interesting spells of Alloa's history.

"He was born in 1740 and the Jacobite Rebellion was in 1745, so it explores how this affected him and others living in Alloa.

"For Alloa, it looks at its history from around this point to a time when they were beginning to put up streetlights and there were paddle steamers going down to Edinburgh.

"There’s a whole wave of Alloa history because it was so involved in his life.”

Brian continued: “The big catalyst was when my cousin got an invitation to a whisky tasting at Alloa Tower.

"I knew a lot about John before that, and that there was a connection to Alloa, but I thought he was just born there and then moved to Ireland, when in fact he spent most of his life there.

“I always assumed I was an Irishman, as my parents were Irish so I thought John must have moved over when he was very young and then all of his kids stayed over there.

"It wasn’t until I went to the whisky event at Alloa Tower that John Jameson was a factor on the estate there and that’s how he started out. Then everything started to fit into place after that.”

Brian explained the process of writing the book and his pride in what he has achieved saying: “With research, you can just go on forever.

"I would never claim to have the definitive story. I think I have the story that is the most accurate at this moment in time.

"I’m quite willing to be challenged on it, I don’t mind as it’s all about discovering new things, however everything I have included is based in fact.

“You have to rely on conjecture at certain times. For instance, I don’t know for sure which school he went to, but I know about his education in becoming a lawyer and the arguments he got into.

"There are many facts that I do know for sure.”

John Jameson was born on October 5, 1740, in Alloa, where he would spend most of his life.

He grew up there and eventually became a lawyer before taking up the role of Sheriff Clerk of Clackmannan, a role he held until his death, which was then taken over by his son and then his grandson.

The first distillery he purchased was the Lochrin Distillery in Edinburgh in 1789. Later, he branched out into Irish whiskey when he helped to purchase the Bow Street Distillery in Dublin in 1805, which was later renamed John Jameson & Son in around 1838.

Jameson died on December 3rd, 1823, at the age of 83. He is buried in his beloved Alloa’s Greenside Cemetery.

His sons, John, William and James took over the Jameson Distillery after his death.

To find out more about one of Alloa’s most famous sons, purchase “JJ: John Jameson, founder of the most famous Irish whiskey in the world” on Amazon in paperback, hardback, or Kindle edition.