The 268-year-old link between a family and a secret recipe for a drink created for Bonnie Prince Charlie has been broken.

The MacKinnons, whose chief, John MacKinnon, helped the Prince escape from Skye, were supposedly given the details of Drambuie in the aftermath of the Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746.

It saw Bonnie Prince Charlie pursued by the Hanoverian Government's forces across the Highlands and Islands, but he was protected by the clans.

In gratitude for his bravery the Prince was said to have given John MacKinnon the secret recipe to his personal liqueur, a gift that the clan were to treasure down the generations. An extraordinary elixir that would, many years later, become known to the world as Drambuie.

Now the world famous drink has been bought by the independent family distillers behind well known single malts such as Glenfiddich and The Balvenie.

William Grant & Sons says Drambuie is a very natural addition to its portfolio of premium consumer-led brands, which include the popular brands, as well as Tullamore D.E.W. Irish 'whiskey', Grant's blended Scotch whisky, Hendrick's gin and Sailor Jerry spiced rum.

Drambuie is described as a "unique blend of aged Scotch whisky, spices and heather honey" and is often used with whisky in the famous Rusty Nail cocktail once favoured by Hollywood's Rat Pack of stars, led by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr.

However, the distillers and its previous owners say it will now benefit from being part of this larger organisation that will help it achieve its full potential. The purchase price was not disclosed.

According to the Drambuie Com­pany's history, in 1873, the recipe was passed to John Ross of the Broadford Hotel, Skye, who began making it to serve there.

"Customers who tasted it commented in Gaelic it was "an dram buidheach", the drink that satisfies, which was shortened to Drambuie. The name stuck and in 1893 John's son, James, registered it as a trademark."

Malcolm MacKinnon travelled from Skye to Edinburgh in 1900 to work in the wines and spirits business. He recognised the oppor­tunity the liqueur offered and in 1909 produced Drambuie for the first time on the Scottish mainland, paying a royalty to the widow of James Ross. By 1914 he had acquired the recipe and the trademark and he established The Drambuie Liqueur Company. "

Word began to spread about Drambuie and it became the first liqueur to be introduced to the House Of Lords in 1916. A year later Buckingham Palace ordered a case for its cellars. It also became popular in the officers' mess in the Highland regiments.

A family spokesman for William Grant & Sons said: "We have always been secret admirers of Drambuie. We are very grateful to the MacKinnon family for entrusting the future of this iconic brand to our family, and we will do our best to make them proud in the decades ahead."

Drambuie's chief executive Michael Kennedy said : "We are pleased to complete this process with William Grant & Sons, a company that holds true those family values which will help nurture Drambuie to begin its next chapter of growth."

Stella David, chief executive of William Grant & Sons said: "We have a passion and a reputation for nurturing and building brands."

She said Drambuie was a natural fit for the company's portfolio. It had a very rich history and a great story to tell.