Cut into the slope of the land, the Macallan Distillery’s design takes its cues from ancient Scottish hills and maximises the aesthetic beauty of the building. — Photo: The Macallan
During my last trip to the Macallan Distillery in Scotland back in 2014, I remember one of the guides pointing vaguely in the direction of a large but gentle hill of grass, proudly proclaiming that “this is where we will be building our new distillery”.
Nine years later, I finally got the opportunity to see that ‘new distillery’ up close, and boy was it worth the wait.
But before we get into the actual visit, here’s a bit of background. When it comes to luxury Scotch single malt whiskies, The Macallan is practically a household name.
The distillery, which was established in 1824, stands on the Easter Elchies estate in the Speyside region of Scotland. From its ‘curiously small stills’ to its famous whiskies matured in sherry-seasoned oak casks, the distillery has always been well-known for its innovation and technique, and of course, the quality of its spirit.
Whisky WallHence, when it was announced in 2012 that they would be building a new distillery, expectations were high that they would be pushing the envelope once again.
Estimated to cost about £140mil (RM840mil) and designed by internationally acclaimed architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, work on the new distillery began in 2014 and took three and a half years to complete. The new building was officially opened to visitors on May 2, 2018.
Now, back to my latest visit, which was part of a media experience by Edrington Group. Upon arrival at the Macallan Estate, it didn’t seem as though a lot had changed since 2014.
Much of it was still familiar to me – the remarkably large maturation warehouses, the small on-site barley field and duck pond, the calming waters of the River Spey running through the estate, and of course, the beautiful Easter Elchies house, known as the spiritual home of The Macallan.
Even the ‘hill’ that was pointed out to me during my previous visit was still there, but it now looked like an odd collection of grassy mounds with strange little chimneys sticking out of them.
That, I would soon learn, was actually the roof of the new distillery, and I couldn’t help but think that it was designed to blend in with the grassy surroundings of the estate while still indicating that there is something special beneath it.
Cut into the slope of the land, the design of the building “takes its cues from ancient Scottish hills” and maximises 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’.
True enough, from the outside, the building gave barely any indication that whisky was being made inside, except for a whiff of a lovely malty, almost banana-like aroma emanating through the air.
The entrance to The Macallan Distillery. — Photo: Michael Cheang/The Star
Once you step into the building proper, however, it is clear that you have entered a veritable whisky wonderland.
The Macallan Reach is one of the most striking exhibits in the Macallan Whisky Wall section. — Photo: Michael Cheang/The StarThe first thing you notice is the impressive timber roof structure above you, which is apparently one of the most complicated timber roof structures in the world (comprising 380,000 individual components).
Then your eyes are drawn towards the impressive Macallan Whisky Wall, an expansive archive of over 800 bottles spanning the entire history of Macallan.
These range from old bottlings dating back to the early days of the distillery, all the way to the present day expressions such as the Macallan Harmony Collection, and the impressive Macallan The Reach, an 81-year-old single malt that is the oldest whisky the distillery has ever released.
The first Scotch distillery to incorporate the visitor experience together with the production process under one roof, the distillery offers tours for groups and individuals, ranging from the entry-level ‘Distillery Experience’ (a two-and-a-half hour tour that ends with a whisky tasting), to the five-hour Mastery Experience, which includes dinner at the in-house Elchies Brasserie and a specially curated sampling of Macallan whiskies.
Our tour started out with a visit to the Whisky Wall, before proceeding upstairs to the centrepiece of the Visitor’s Experience – The Macallan Bar, a beautiful circular bar space lined with Macallan whiskies, where you can enjoy a dram with a view of either the rolling Speyside countryside or the production line on the other side of the facility.
The Macallan Bar, where almsot every single official Macallan bottling is available for tasting.— Photo: Michael Cheang/The Star
From there, it’s on to the main attraction – the distillery itself.
The production area is designed in a way that there are three main “pods” inside, each with a total of 12 stills (eight spirit and four wash) positioned in a circle.
It’s a beautifully designed industrial space, a far cry from the practical, old school distillery I visited the last time around (and which is surprisingly still standing, albeit not producing whisky anymore).
The new distillery gave Macallan the option to increase production by a third compared to the previous distillery, and in case you were wondering, the new make spirit (which we got to taste during the tour of the facility) is said to be the same as that from the old distillery. After all, the stills are made by Forsyths, the same coppersmiths that have been making stills for The Macallan since the 1950s.
The actual production line is a beautifully designed industrial space, enhanced by the impressive timber roof structure. — Photo: Michael Cheang/The Star
The distillery was also built with sustainability in mind, from repurposing the heat from the stills to heat the Visitor Experience, to ensuring that the majority of all energy consumed is from renewable sources.
For instance, the distillery sources its power from a nearby biomass plant, which uses recycled organic waste to create energy. The result is the distillery uses less energy per litre of alcohol produced compared to its previous site, despite the increase in size.
During the tour, we were also led through several sections where we learnt about the distilling process (and got to try the new make spirit), an exhibit that detailed the Macallan’s wood programme and maturation process, and finally, had a tasting of selected Macallan whiskies at the bar.
Guests can even have a dram in the Cave Priveé area below the bar, depending on the experience you choose. — Photos: MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
We ended the day with one more surprise – a visit to the iconic Cave Priveé area BELOW the bar, where we enjoyed a brilliant dram of The Macallan 30 Year Old Double Cask while surrounded by casks of whisky.
By the end of it all, this was not only a memorable experience for me personally, but there was also no doubt that this was truly one of the most unique experiences a whisky lover could ever have.
Michael Cheang will never look at a simple ‘hill’ the same way again. Follow him on Facebook (fb.com/mytipsyturvy) and Instagram (@MyTipsyTurvy)
