Macallan Distillery

In 2015, Careys began work as specialist concrete subcontractor to Robertson Construction delivering a new distillery for the nearly 200-year old Macallan whisky brand. The atmospheric new distillery located on the Easter Elchies estate on the River Spey aims to create a world-class distillery and inspirational visitor experience at the heart of the Macallan.

As the project was positioned in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the River Spey, our team worked collaboratively with all stakeholders on the project to minimise the environmental impact of our works on the area, as well as ensure that we respected and enhanced the natural environment.

To ensure we delivered our client’s vision of delivering a sympathetic and complementary addition to the local landscape, we developed a bespoke Environmental Management Plan during pre-construction planning to carefully stockpile and reuse material excavated from the site, eliminating the requirement to import material and reducing the negative environmental impact of our work. Our extensive pre-construction planning also included the development of a phasing strategy for our specialist concrete works which would enable the safe installation of the unique distillery equipment and access to the complex roof structure.

The unique design of the distillery and visitor centre included a combination of reinforced concrete and a structural steel frame that supported a timber roof. As part of the works we carried out construction of the basement slab and underslab drainage, a 12m high retaining wall, and installed waterproofing to the structure.

Our team formed a series of concrete cores to bear the weight of the roof structure whilst ensuring sufficient operational space within the distillery structure. This was achieved through excavation of the hillside which we then lined with reinforced concrete retaining walls. The roof was supported by a series of octagonal steel frames which acted as ring beams for the domes and were supported by the concrete superstructure. We worked in close collaboration with the roofing contractor throughout the assembly of complex roof structure ensuring the Macallan brand vision became reality.