The Macallan brand experience, superior whisky gets new distillery & visitor experience

3 July 2018

In Speyside in Scotland, the new distillery and visitor experience of the world’s leading single malt whisky The Macallan is set to open its doors to the public on 2nd June 2018. A variegated exhibition that addresses all the senses by offering a staged setting for the myth, history and art of distilling of a spirit that is in demand all over the world. Designed by ATELIER BRÜCKNER, the exhibition is in the form of a guided tour through the new distillery. The relatedness to the authentic location as well as the long distilling experience and the perfect maturation of the single malt whiskies are expressed in staged spaces dedicated to specific themes.

An atmospheric, dense experience is created through the interaction of the daylight exhibition with the architecture and the impressive surrounding landscape. The new building, which congenitally blends into the hilly surroundings thanks to its grass roof, was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. It is in view of Easter Elchies House, the spiritual home of The Macallan, and one of the first legal distilleries in the Scottish highlands, was established in 1824.

The visitor experience welcomes guests with a ceiling-high ‘brand wall’. Light and projected films provide the setting for glass shelves on which bottles of the latest whiskies are shown in order to set the mood for the brand and the product. Directly behind this is the ‘Jewel Box’, which presents the archive treasure – The Macallan whiskies that go back to the year 1841. The tours through the distillery start here. A walk through the spectacular production area, which is impressive in terms of both its content and architecture, awaits the groups, which are composed of a maximum of twelve people. On the way through, there are interactive stations with clever kinetic models that playfully impart the contents of the tour to the visitors. It all starts at Easter Elchies House and is followed by ‘Curiously Small Stills’, where the distilling process is shown, and then the ‘Finest Cut’, which celebrates the birth of the distillery with an impressive kinetic sculpture from the legendary glass manufacturer Lalique.

The visitors arrive at ‘The Mastery’, the highpoint of the Whisky Experience, after around 200 metres. All the production stages and components that lead to the legendary whisky are presented in settings as immersive experiences. The three installations explain the importance of wood for maturation in the oak barrel (‘The Wood Story’), the magic of blending and the composition of the whisky (‘The Whisky Story’) with its different colours ranging from amber to ruby red, and, finally, the much-anticipated final product, the whisky itself (‘The Peerless Spirit’).

The tour ends with an experience that can be described as a symphony of light which underlies the authenticity and exclusivity of the location. Like a materialised musical score, 150 original barrels, in which the very noblest of whiskies lie dormant, are incorporated in a composition of space, light and sound in the ‘Cave Privée’. The visitors’ experience a fleetingly memorable moment when ‘The Macallan Spirit’ manifests itself. After this comes the tasting at the bar, which is directly above the ‘Cave Privée’. Here, the products can be sampled – a highly varied tasteful experience.