Edrington, the international premium spirits company, has unveiled the new distillery and visitor experience for The Macallan.
The new distillery and visitor experience is located on the stunning Easter Elchies estate, which has been home to the leading luxury single malt since the early 1800s. From humble beginnings, the beloved brand has risen to become the leading international single malt by value and has been a prominent force in some of the globe’s most significant Scotch whisky markets including The USA, Taiwan, and Japan.
It is also the first distillery on Speyside to be designed by an internationally renowned architect, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, who were selected to lead the project after an international competition.
The project was announced in 2012 and the construction commenced in December 2014. The first whisky ran through the stills in December last year and the visitor experience will open its doors to the mass on 2nd June. It is expected that visitor numbers will double in the first year and continue to rise thereafter.
Elgin-based Robertson Construction has delivered the complex architectural design, working with 25 contractors to bring the vision for the new distillery and visitor experience to fruition. During construction, up to 400 people specialising in more than 20 different trades were employed on site.
The engrossing piece of modern architecture is cut into the slope of the land, clearly taking its cues from ancient Scottish hills and maximising the aesthetic beauty of the building whilst minimising the visual impact on the Speyside landscape, which has been classified as an ‘Area of Great Landscape Value’.
The undulating timber roof structure is one of the most intricate timber roof structures in the world, comprising 380,000 individual components.
Ian Curle, Chief Executive, Edrington, said: “This is an exciting occasion for Edrington and The Macallan. The unsurpassed quality of The Macallan is in high demand and we face the future confidently with this new distillery. It’s an authentic, abiding, ambitious investment that will match consumer expectations for generations to come.”
When the doors open in June, the revamped Macallan enterprise is all set to deliver significant benefits for the tourism industry, Scotch whisky exports, and the economy.
Ken Grier, Creative Director, The Macallan, said: “As The Macallan has grown globally it has been very important that we make sure we can sustain demand for this wonderful amber liquid. We’ve taken exceptional care in making sure that the spirit that is produced in the new distillery is identical to the spirit that we produced in our previous distillery. This is the beginning of a really exciting new chapter in the evolution of this wonderful brand that is The Macallan.”