If you have read our previous blog post on The Macallan, you’ll know that no corners were cut during this £140 million construction project. From the sweeping exterior that mirrors the Scottish landscape to the interior that houses both a working distillery and a welcoming visitors centre, the industrial and commercial work together in perfect harmony.
In this post, we delve into one of the magnificent hidden gems of the distillery, the cask room.
The Macallan cask room Viewing Platform
The distillery’s reputation for the extraordinary is characterised by the exceptional oak casks, for which The Macallan is renowned. Each hand-picked cask is sourced, crafted, toasted and seasoned under the watchful eye of The Macallan Master of Wood until the demanding specifications are achieved. With 80% of The Macallan’s final character and flavour determined by cask quality, the oak cask is the most prominent factor in ensuring and delivering the style and quality of The Macallan’s single malt.
To emphasise the precision and importance of this maturation process, perfecting the cask room was of vital importance to The Macallan project. The cave privee is arguably one of the sites in the distillery where visuals were the most vital. This room displays each cask like a gallery exhibition, putting the visitor in the centre of a semi-circle of back-lit casks. This is also where the sherry cask maturation of the distilled spirit takes place.
The reflective flooring and ceiling gives a seemingly endless visual
With a mirrored ceiling and high gloss floor, the towering cask aesthetic is truly breath taking. The flooring, appearing like a deep, black lagoon of sorts reflects each barrel giving a feeling of endlessness that adds to majesty of this room.
Peran SL from Flowcrete UK in a glossy black finish was applied here to create the sleek floor that would reflect not only the casks above, but also the room’s lights in a dynamic, eye-catching manner. The architect Toby Jeavons added:
“This acts as a centre piece exhibit and the ‘holy of holies’ for visitors and fans on the Macallan pilgrimage…The design required that both the ceiling and floor of this space be black in colour and highly reflective so providing the illusion of an endless array of vertical casks. The use of a black coloured Peran SL has again achieved this aim very successfully.”
Visitors can experience this room from a viewing platform, but the room itself is off limits to the general public.
The private cellar can be viewed from this platform alone
We hope that you enjoyed your private tour of the cask room. Keep your eyes peeled for more insights on this project in our next blog post, and as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
