The home of one of the worlds most famous single malt whiskies lies at the foot of the Scottish Highlands, at Craigellachie. Here, a new light-flooded distillery building by the architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has been embedded in the landscape. Up to 15.000 sqm are dedicated to pre-booked guided tours. They include a brand wall to welcome the visitors and a tasting area as well as the 'Cave Privée' containing 150 original barrels staged with light.
The visitor routing leads through the spectacular production hall, which is impressive in terms of architecture and content. A persuasive experience of The Macallan Brand is provided.
Six sophistically designed information pillars, acting as key points along the tour, provide access to the legendary history of the company, to the processes within the distillery as well as to the brand values of The Macallan. Each of this hands-on installations is positioned in direct context to its surrounding, explaining it. They are made of prestigious materials and contain clever kinetic models.
To offer immersive experiences, the tour contains three thematic pavilions. All the production stages and components that lead to the whisky are presented in these walkable settings. They explain the importance of wood for maturation in the oak barrel, the magic of blending and the composition of the whisky, with its different colours ranging from amber to ruby red, and, finally, the much-anticipated final product, the whisky itself.