The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience,
Speyside, UK

The magical and functional light of The Macallan, beneath the Speyside landscape. Inspired by the qualities found in the beautiful local scenery, our design is a carefully crafted balance of light, shadow, colour and texture that draws out the narrative and reinforces the connections between the whisky, The Macallan brand, and the architecture in its landscape setting.
Client
Edrington
Year
2018
Architect
RSHP
Landscape Architect
Gillespies
Exhibition Design
Atelier Brückner
Engineer
Arup
Photographer
James Newton
Project Team
Mark Major, Clementine Fletcher-Smith, Ewan Parsons


In June 2018, The Macallan opened their newly constructed production facility and visitor experience in Speyside, Scotland. From the dramatic first glimpse of its curving roofline glowing in the hillside, light guides and enhances the visitor experience.

Within the main production facility, we layered the light to reveal the scale and form of the architecture while also highlighting the alchemy within the stills, pipes and other machinery that makes up the distilling equipment. Choreography of the light further enhances the telling of The Macallan story.

"Inspired by the qualities found in the beautiful local scenery, our design is a carefully crafted balance of light, shadow, colour and texture that draws out the narrative and reinforces the connections between the whisky, The Macallan brand, and the architecture in its landscape setting."


Light is integral to every aspect of the building. The play of light glowing through glass and liquid enriches the retail and hospitality spaces. In the exhibition area, engaging details are meticulously integrated into the displays. ATEX compliant operational light for the production facility forms a separately controlled layer that does not compromise the creative visual impact.

Visitor tours culminate in a kaleidoscopic light experience. Set within the 'Cave Privée', a circular whisky store, dynamic coloured light interacts with the dark polished surfaces creating a spectacular finale.