The distillery is at the heart of the Macallan Estate, where time does its work slowly and thoroughly.
It is here where our precious spirit matures, creating whisky that will be sipped and savoured for decades to come by aficionados for whom The Macallan guarantees quality, complexity and depth.
What’s more, we at The Macallan, like many others, are on a constant journey with sustainability, exploring different avenues and initiatives which will make a positive impact on the planet and communities.
As part of this programme, in 2021, The Macallan Estate installed a number of electric vehicle charging points, which can be used by visitors to our Estate. Each charging point has a multilingual LCD and various connectivity options along with all the basic hardware needed to support recharging for guests and visitors.
Here’s what’s lies in store for discerning whisky lovers…
Raising the roof
We opened our new distillery in 2019. Designed by internationally acclaimed architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, it sits in The Macallan Estate, alongside the historic Easter Elchies House, where The Macallan’s first licensed distillery was established in 1824.
The new distillery took three-and-a-half years to build, employing more than 400 people from 20 trades at a cost of £140m, its striking ‘living meadow’ roof – one of Europe’s largest – supported by no less than 380,000 separate pieces of timber, and in turn supporting countless local flora and fauna, for which it has become their habitat.
The visitors’ experience
Distinct experiences to remember await our guests on a visit to The Macallan Estate.
Visitors can book a Distillery Experience to learn more about our Estate and the passion, history, craft and skill that goes into every single malt. You can sample some of our finest whiskies at The Macallan Bar, dine from the menu of Scottish produce at Elchies Brasserie, or browse the limited-edition malt whiskies for sale.
The Discovery Experience takes guests through the brand’s proud heritage while exploring the journey from acorn to glass and sampling some of its distinguished products.
The Mastery Experience delves deeper into the whisky-making process and starts with a welcome dram at The Macallan Whisky Wall before guests enjoy a two-course lunch in Elchies Brasserie, paired with wines.
The Macallan Estate also offers bespoke experiences, with the team able to tailor any aspect to suit the needs and desires of guests. There’s everything from catch-and-release fishing on the River Spey and access to exclusive drams, to exploring the iconic Easter Elchies House, the spiritual home of The Macallan Estate.
The architects’ vision
“The Macallan Estate truly is a special place,” says the distillery’s lead architect Graham Stirk. “The vision was always ambitious but this enabled us to challenge our own thinking to create something so dramatic and awe-inspiring.”
What makes our distillery and visitor experience unique is that it is all under one eye-catching roof – the grass-covered structure that echoes the rolling hills surrounding it – and its open-plan design means visitors can take in all stages of the distilling process.
The Macallan crown jewels
The distillery’s design and build was guided by the sustainable principle of reducing environmental impact – both our water and energy efficiency has been rated ‘Excellent’ by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
It’s for good reason – the water we use to cool the stills during distillation comes directly from the Spey, while the spring water used to distil our new-make spirit is taken from boreholes on its banks.
Although safety regulations mean we have separated the distillery and visitor experience, we’ve decided to be transparent about it, by installing a bespoke 10m-high glass wall in order to lay our valued processes bare across the distillery’s open-plan interior for all to see.
One of those walls features the crown jewels of The Macallan Estate – our Archive of bottles dating back to the early 1900s, and many of them – some 840, in fact – are on display so that visitors can immerse themselves in our rich history.
For here at The Macallan, we work with time and nature, with tradition and innovation, with water, malted barley and yeast, to deliver a truly timeless experience.
Click here to find out more about The Macallan Estate
