The Macallan

GRAND DESIGNS

THE MACALLAN UNVEILS ITS TRIUMPH OF STYLE, FUNCTIONALITY AND WORLD-CLASS INNOVATION

Six years ago, Edrington revealed its plans to build a new state of the art Macallan distillery and visitor experience. The structure was designed to not only deliver the iconic Speyside distiller greater capacity, but to set the standard and vision that will guide the business through the next century of its history. There’s a lot to live up to, but the senior team at The Macallan remain confident that the newly unveiled building will be a major part of The Macallan’s expansion and enduring legacy. explore WHISKY was lucky enough to get the first ever tour of the new building.

The new distillery and visitor experience is located on the beautiful Easter Elchies Estate, just outside Aberlour in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands. An easy hour drive north from Aberdeen, the fresh crisp air and rolling hills signal the rural nature of the Scotch Whisky industry.

The Easter Elchies Estate has been home to the leading luxury single malt since 1824, and the main house on the label of every Macallan bottle sits at the entrance to the new distillery, as a reminder of the traditions past and expectations of a proud future.

Shaped like five grassy knolls, the distillery is unique and quite simply stunning. Despite its size, at first glance, you could be forgiven for missing it, as the design seamlessly integrates the partially underground structure with the rolling hills outside of Aberlour. This striking piece of contemporary design maximises the aesthetic beauty of the building while minimising the visual impact on the Speyside landscape, which has been classified as an ‘Area of Great Landscape Value’.

The distillery and visitor experience was designed by acclaimed architect, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, who were selected to lead the project after an international competition. Elgin-based Robertson Construction has delivered this sophisticated architectural design, working with 25 contractors to weave together the vision for the new distillery and visitor experience. During construction, up to 400 people specialising in more than 20 different trades were employed on site. Designs on this scale do not come cheap, however, with Edrington investing $900 million in the brand of which the $250 million distillery is the centrepiece. This programme has been implemented to increase investment in the whisky, warehousing, and, particularly, in The Macallan’s signature sherry-seasoned oak casks.

The new distillery also signals a large investment in expanding production and improving the tourism experience.

The first whisky ran through the stills in December last year, and the updated infrastructure will enable The Macallan to increase production by a third if required. The new stills were crafted by Scottish coppersmiths Forsyths, who have been making The Macallan’s distinctive ‘curiously small’ since the 1950s.

“As The Macallan has grown globally it has been very important that we make sure we can sustain demand for this wonderful amber liquid,” said Ken Grier, Creative Director at The Macallan. “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.”

Ian Curle, Chief Executive of Edrington, echoes this excitement. “The unsurpassed quality of The Macallan is in high demand, and we face the future confidently with this new distillery,” he said. “It’s an authentic, abiding, ambitious investment that will match consumer expectations for generations to come. When the doors open on the 2nd of June, we expect this new Macallan enterprise to deliver significant benefits for the tourism industry, Scotch whisky exports, and the economy.” Indeed, it is expected that visitor numbers will double in the first year and continue to rise after that.

While there were times when amendments needed to be made to the project the business remained wholly committed. A key design feature is the massive floor to ceiling glass wall that separates the bar from the distillery. It offered design and regulatory challenges and tested the business’s commitment to the high standards of the building. The local fire codes require the glass wall to protect the public bar area for a minimum of 2 hours should an accident happen in the distillery. Testing and proving the design was robust required a $540,000 mock-up of the glass wall to be installed and effectively burned down. Alongside this, the undulating timber roof structure proved one of the most complicated timber roofs to assemble in the world, comprising of 380,000 individual components.

“The Macallan estate truly is a special place; a place we have come to love and respect hugely,” said Graham Stirk, Senior Partner and Lead Architect for Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. “The vision was always ambitious, but this enabled us to challenge our own thinking to create something so dramatic and awe-inspiring. It has been an honour to play our part in shaping the next chapter for The Macallan.” THE NEW DISTILLERY AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE IN NUMBERS: • $250m was invested, and 60 new jobs are set to be created • During construction, up to 400 people specialising in over 20 different trades were employed on site • The project has taken three years and six months to complete (Dec 2014 – May 2018) • The roof is one of the most complicated timber structures in the world, comprising 1,800 single beams, 2,500 different roof elements, and 380,000 individual components, almost none of which are equal or the same • The new distillery will allow production of The Macallan to increase by approximately a third

ADDRESS: Macallan Distillery, Easter Elchies, Charlestown of Aberlour , Scotland T: +44 1340 871471 W: www.themacallan.com OPENING HOURS: Monday-Saturday: 9:30am-6pm Sunday: 12pm-6pm TOUR DETAILS AND PRICING: The Macallan 6 Pillars Tour £15.00