Six years on from its grand opening, lush green grass has spread in an even blanket across the distinctive waves and bumps which form the roof of The Macallan Distillery. With each passing day, the building slowly but surely morphs further into the rolling hills of the Speyside estate it calls home - a testament to how, just like when crafting whisky, great things take time. But even going back to when the plans for this magnificent manmade structure first began to take shape is just a drop in the barrel of the 200-year history of one of Scotland’s most revered whisky brands.
Pictured: The roof at the Macallan Distillery is made up of 380,000 individual components (Image: Supplied) The early years Long before a new restaurant partnership with the world-renowned Roca brothers or Cirque Du Soleil performers took over the space for a series of exclusive shows, the story of The Macallan as we know it today started with a schoolteacher and barley farmer named Alexander Reid. Having leased and nurtured land at Easter Elchies estate since 1819, Reid established the distillery in 1824 distilling his first batch of liquid using ‘curiously small’ stills that continue to be synonymous with the brand today. Originally known as the Elchies Distillery, it was one of the first in Scotland to be legally licensed, costing Reid the sum of £10.
Pictured: A historic archive image, and present-day capture of Easter Elchies House on The Macallan estate (Image: Supplied) ‘The architect’ .
