william mcewan opened the fountain brewery in fountainbridge, then a suburb on the outskirts of edinburgh, in 1856, using £2,000 loaned by his mother and his uncle. the area and the brewery are named after the spring waters from the vicinity, which, in addition to its proximity to the caledonian railway line and the union canal, determined the location of the brewery. mcewan had employed geologists to identify the prime location for a supply of well water. beforehand, mcewan had engaged in industrial espionage at bass and allsopp's breweries in order to learn techniques and assay costs. after establishing a market share in the industrial regions of the scottish lowlands, from the early 1860s mcewan built up a successful colonial export trade by exploiting his family's shipowning connections. it was during this time that mcewan's india pale ale, the beer that was the foundation for much of the company's reputation, was first labelled export.