The first malt whisky distillery in the Cairngorms National Park is set to become a “must-visit” tourist destination offering a “world class” visitor experience.
Elgin-based Speymalt Whisky Distributors, trading as Gordon & MacPhail, first announced plans for the new multi-million-pound development at Craggan, near Grantown on Spey, in 2018.
Now, looking forward to the grand opening of the Cairn in summer next year, bosses have revealed their drive to attract guests from all over the world with an “astonishing and truly memorable” programme.
With works on the development currently underway, Gordon & MacPhail have appointed leading Scottish brand and cultural destination specialist Studio MB to bring their project to life.
The company has been commissioned to deliver all design and implementation stages for the distillery from inception to completion – including narrative planning, visitor design experience, content development, exhibitions and graphics.
Marketing director at Gordon & MacPhail Ian Chapman believes the new programme will offer the best visitor experience to whisky lovers and adventure seekers.
He said: “Our desire is to create an astonishing and truly memorable ‘must-visit’ visitor experience attracting guests from all over the world.
“Studio MB continues to play an integral role as we aim to deliver this intention. Drawing on their expertise in creating world-leading visitor experiences they have brought an entirely fresh perspective to the project, alongside creative flair, a visitor centric methodology and professional rigour.
“We look forward to working with Studio MB and other partners over the coming months as we bring the vision to life in preparation for welcoming whisky lovers and adventure seekers to The Cairn from summer 2022.”
Craig Mann, co-founding director at Studio MB, added: “We are very excited to have been appointed by Gordon & MacPhail to imagine and deliver their new distillery visitor experience. They have a truly remarkable and unique vision to present.
“This will be a story about time invested – an immersive journey that started over 125 years ago, but one that continues to look far into our futures.”