October 5 2019

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners have won the 2019 RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award for The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience, Aberlour.

The Speyside distillery saw off competition from six challengers to earn the accolade, an acknowledgement of the contemporary temple to modern distillation processes.

A judges citation read: “The attention to detail and the consistency and control of aesthetic decisions in this building is incredibly impressive. The technology of how the architecture is made, is complimented by the theatrical arrangement, and format of the locally crafted copper whisky stills, mash tanks and the labyrinth of pipework that connects them and makes them work. This is a harmonious, confident, highly accomplished work at every level.

“The same level of care and attention to detail and painstaking co-ordination was also evident in the mechanical and electrical design of this vast machine, everything has been thought through and built expertly. For the jury this building was the undisputed winner of this prestigious award.”

This year’s jurors comprised prof. Sadie Morgan, from dRMM; Henry McKeown, director of jmarchitects and prof. Mona Siddiqui OBE Hon FRIAS, from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity.

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