MaxAllan Review

*BOOK IN ADVANCE*
Honestly they are solidly booked for two weeks for the tour although they have a gorgeous bar with one of the most amazing views in Scotland.
The new distillery is maybe the most fancy one in the world. Worth the visit for any whisky fan. Tour is also quite modern and skips a lot of the fluff you would get at the older fashion ones.

Cafe downstairs doing high quality tasty food, bar upstairs doing a wide selection.

Shop is a little weird but plenty on sale although the rarer bottles appear and disappear very quickly

Superb value for money - really good tour guide. Thanks Allyson

A very nice, large visitor center. The food in the small restaurant / cafe is recommended. However, no large number of free places available. Book tours in advance in advance. Of course, the Scottish highland cattle on the pasture must not be missed.

You know they are making some serious dough to build a distillery like this. Almost a must visit if you like scotch

Poor service. A habit several of the distilleries are falling into during this current whisky boom.

Amazing experience in their beautiful, new, high tech distillery. Very impressive and fun!

Wow...great, the distillery tour was excellent, the tour guide Lucy was really good and very helpful. Top marks Lucy.

A 6 star hotel reception, a gorgeous museum, a new automated distillery, and a consistent McDonald's style tour. The bar is a total rip off, charges as much as a 6 star hotel, at 3.5x the retail prices to taste their higher end products. 650 GBP for a shot of Macallan 30 lol. What was the point to coming to the middle-of-nowhere in Scotland for this again? A definite afterthought.

The new and improved Macallan visitor's experience is a must-see if you're passing through the eastern side of Scotland. The staff are kind and helpful, informative without being pretentious, and the Six Pillars Tour was very well paced and interesting without being kitschy. The interior of the building is absolutely gorgeous and the 4 (sort of 5) dram sample at the end was a great exposure to the breadth of Macallans. Come here to visit even if you can't make it on the tour -- viewing the breathtaking building and enjoying the cocktail lounge alone is worth it!

Awesome distillery, incredible whiskey, incredible place. Top notch

Fantastic experience
I would rather visit this new distillery than be disappointed and turned away by the older ones who don t want any visitors.

The process was explained very theatrically.
The professional lighting and AV show was well executed
Especially the cooperage section.

Spectacular venue, great whiskeys, poor value. I guess the $200m visitors centre needs to earn its keep but 12 pounds for 3 x 10ml tasting is extremely pricey, and the prices just go up from there. Suggest if you re not driving a Range Rover or an Audi you look elsewhere.

For both a scotch drinker and a fly fisherman, this was like dying and going to heaven twice over! My wife and I attended the Speyside Whisky Festival and as part of that we were allowed to have a guided trip along the River Spey with the Macallam Gillie, a bbq'ed lunch, casting on the river and tasting the fine wares of the distillery the entire time. What a memorable day! All of the staff was great and we both said it was the highlight of our 3 week trip to Scotland.

The distillery is currently being rebuilt. Huge!!!! The picture I posted shows the new visitor center. It should be ready in 2018.

Modern old school distillery. Best of the old and new in an amazing modern facility! People were VERY friendly and helpful.

Massive new visitors centre. A too sterile for my liking, lacking that homely country nature. Felt more like a Swiss Bank than a distillery. Very Friendly Staff.

Did the tour on the 22/06/2019 with friends, who had already done the tour the first week it opened.Very disappointed,for a new distillery,several of the graphic displays,were not working, told management not very interested

You can't never go wrong with the Macallan Single Malts

I was a little concerned about this distillery tour as I had read a number of negative comments that Macallan had gone too commercial with their new visitor centre and distillery. Well the moral of the story is, don't believe all you read. We had an amazing tour of the new facility, with lots of information and accompanying technology during the tour.

At the end, we got a tasting, including the raw spirit and 3 of the Macallan 12 year old malts and the Rare-Cask, which was exquisite.

worst whiskey tour ever
+ the tour is very professional and very informative, the only reason why there are 2 instead of 1 star
+ the guide was perfectly trained

- the tour is absolutely faceless and not authentic, everything is a big show, every joke rehearsed, quite impersonal
- the three whiskey samples are at best 2 cl

Conclusion: not recommended, if someone wants to visit a still, I recommend everyone else, but not this one. Better a few km further to Glenfiddich

I never came ... but soon I hope to visit the court of the RE !!! Thanks Mac ... From Italy with Love ..

We liked a lot. But they should at least have an audio guide in different languages. The guided tour is only in English. And for those of us who don't speak the language very well, it's hard to follow.

Visited the new centre today found it really interesting, our guide Graham made the tour really enjoyable not only with his knowledge of whisky but also the fact that he remembered all our names. Well worth a visit, very friendly staff, good selection of whisky and gifts to buy in shop.

Yes, I love it. The pure flavor, clean shot and peaceful mental.

Macallan's whisky is as smooth as silk! I'd love to visit Scotland & take this tour. Or maybe, I could just hang around in the tasting room?

Drove up from Lossiemouth to visit shop but there is a severe lack of signs! We about turned and came home again dissapointed.

Everything is polished and stylized. But it's a different and impressing, interactive and very informative tour.
You can taste very expensive and exclusive whisky, so it's worth every penny.
The prices in the shop are also good and older fillings you likely won't get in regular shops any more!

After 11 wonderful warm experiences and extraordinary hospitality, a colorful round of great distilleries and loving people we came to this distillery. Barely surpassing in arrogance and ignorance. Here is probably not only the penetrating smell of the monastery has gone to his head.

Everyone who praises this so much has good old McAllan Dist. not experienced. Really good whiskeys were still being produced there.

Well signed by brown tourist road signs, long driveway to the car park giving you a view of the landscaped roof of the Visitor Centre, which reflects the surrounding hills. Low key signage, which fits in with the ambience of the Macallan Estate, drive slowly and follow the white signs and you shouldn't have any issues. Long gentle slope leading to the glass door entrance. The interior is spectacular and needs to be visited to experience this design masterpiece, the whole interior reflects the history of Macallan, and is presented in an intelligent and informative way. The staff were on hand to approach if needed, and we're friendly & pleasant to talk too. The whisky wall is brilliant. We had a enjoyable few hours on site, didn't take the tour, but made use of the cafe and made a purchase from the shop. There is no entrance fee, you can stroll around the Centre at your own pace and have a great visit for no outlay in a remarkable setting.

Modern, spacious building with offer of leadership (absolutely book), is very worthwhile. Costs 15 pounds, is appropriate. Unlike most distilleries, merchandising is very pronounced, just "The Macallan". Tastes very good.

Very informative, interesting and enjoyable tour of the new distillery. Knowledgeable guide and fantastic presentation
The whisky is great too.

Did this tour with my youngest step daughter who was home on holiday from Sydney, Australia, we both thought the tour was fantastic. The tour guide Lindsey was a wealth of knowledge. I lived my school days and youth in Craigellachie, but had never visited Macallan distillery. Would recommend this tour highly.

Stunning architecture and friendly staff - well worth a visit just as a contrast to the more traditional distilleries nearby. Though all a touch corporate, and the whisky itself is optimistically priced!

The best and most interesting of about 10 distilleries I've visited on the Scottish mainland and Islay. A futuristic new building on which no expense has been spared and very well informed guides. There is also an excellent bar and a decent cafe. You need to book the tours well in advance in high season and the only downside is that it's very commercial, the prices are high and the size of the drams they offer could hardly be smaller.

The architecture I found a bit puzzling, though I can understand concept. There is a lot of wasted space inside, perhaps they will grow into it. Even the sidewalk outside was kind of out of whack, I would have expects something more earthy, like sandstone, etc.(?) The whiskies are good, but the 18yr. Is NOT 4x better than the 12yr., as the price would imply.

Totally modern distillery with very beautiful architecture (the grass roof that follows the movement of the surrounding hills is unique), but unfortunately very far from the charm of the old distilleries.
Macallan remains a cult name for Whiskey lovers, but the distillery now looks like an immense boutique aiming at a certain level of foreign tourism.
It remains the historic and charming little house present in the famous brand and the bar that offers Whiskey editions for any budget.
However, it is unique in its kind and deserves a visit just to admire its majesty and particular structure.

Have you visited the Macallan distillery yet? You will be amazed by the design and architecture, then enjoy a wee whisky.

Whaaaaaat another distillery
Yaaaaaaaas this tasting whisky is awesomeness
Stunning distillery and look at how old that one whisky is from 1848
This country is old with amazing heritage
Love The Macallan distillery

When it comes to whisky, The Macallan must be an unavoidable name. As one of the most famous single malt whisky brands, McAllen has been the target of collectors and investors, sweeping almost all lists in the global auction market.

Although I live locally in Aberlour. This was my first visit to Macallan Distillery, given as a present by my son for Christmas. Really Beautiful Distillery Attraction for the Area. Blends well in to the landscape. Arrived early to have a meal with my wife and the food was delicious. Basic Menu which makes it more of an attraction to have a meal. Heather looked after us during our meal, very polite and excellent at her duties. Niamh welcomed us when we arrived and was also our tour guide on the 3pm six pillars tour. Very knowledgeable and parts of the tour with the interactive podiums. We ventured into the Boutique shop where we got amazing customer service by Boutique Supervisor Danielle. Very informative on the products in the Area. We also had a small chat with Sarah who is originally from California. Ended the day with a nice Dram of Macallan Quest up at the bar where we experienced Jack making cocktails for other guests to the distillery. We arrived at 12:30pm and left around 5:30pm. There is so much to take in but recommend booking tours well in advance.

Scotland's famous brewery that also became paper money
Fruity incense whiskey

Came up from across the pond, specifically looking forward to our visit to the Mcallans Distillery. We showed up on Monday around 930 am and were told by the young man at the front desk that they were booked for the day. No problem we said, we asked if there was a no show for the next tour at 10am if we could join that group and he said they would have to wait and see. At that point a woman showed up and she started to say that they usually have full bookings and get no cancellations and that we were better off staying with our reservation for the following day. Mind you the tour at 10 am only had 7 people and in their website they state maximum of 10. We would probably have gotten in if it werent for her, i drove a long way to make this a highlight of my trip to get turned down because of a snobby receptionist. Mcallans was one of my most favorite scotch to drink and buy. I can honestly say that after this type of treatment you wont make any money off of me anymore.

Huge, expensive new facility, but completely off putting for tastings or information. We were there on a saturday afternoon. We weren't there for a tour, just hoping for a tasting and a brief history. We saw the huge wall of whisky and looked at their rare/ expensive collection, but were unable to catch the eye of the 6 employees standing around chatting with each other (i'm assuming they were employees because they had on lanyards and one of them went through an employee only door) to ask a question. We then wandered upstairs for a tasting where one of the small bars was closed, though it had a bartender at it who refused to make eye contact and kept moving bottles around. The other bar tender was overwhelmed with people. There were only a few tables, all full, people at the bar, and others standing. Only half the people seemed to have been served. We decided to not bother sticking around. We drove over to glenfiddich distillery and had a lovely, more traditional experience with a bar that had several tenders, lots of tables, and staff to wait on them.

An amazing experience to learn everything you need and want to know about the Macallan whisky great tour amazing new modern distillery a trip worth going. Book in advance because of the high demand of the experience

The new distillery sits within the Easter Elchies estate and has been distilling the celebrated single malt whisky since 1824. With the demand for Macallan Whisky ever-growing, the Edrington Group commissioned architects Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners to create an iconic building that could provide capacity for increased production, as well as a facility that could offer fundamental flexibility to expand to meet future, growing demands.

I have to say i was very sad and disappointed,and felt there was no welcoming feel, it is a very sterile experience overall. I guess the industry is heading down the route of automation and money focused, with you leading the way.
Your storage facilities, wow... They are the size of aircraft hangars and you are building more.

Very nice visit in a modern place and perfectly integrated with nature and landscape. Very nice explanations on the making of this mythical whiskey with hi-tech teaching tools. A tasting commented and perfectly explained. Many thanks to you who taught me. I recommend this visit.

Absolutely overwhelming distillery. The architecture is flattened, the food builds up again and the whiskey makes you stand out.
Especially the whiskey flights with a detailed expertise and fair prices.
Small minus is that in the shop some of the offered whiskeys are not available, because sold out. Otherwise top and only to be recommended in .

Absolutely outstanding! I can't wait to come back and take the tour!

The scale and atmosphere are different from other distilleries you'll see on Speyside. Some say it is Malt Disney, which is an exact analogy. Though it seems to be a theme park for whiskey fans rather than a distillery, arrangements for tourists are appropriate, but the distillation itself is still on a very large scale. The tour is also very pleased with the price for those who have just started on Single Malt, so if you are the first visit and you can only get to one place, I recommend you to visit here. There is a bar in the distillery, but the composition is very good. It is also a good idea to pack your wallet and taste the whiskey in the bar that you can only taste here.

Was there 2018 loved the tour, loved the estate, and love the whiskey!

Apart from the huge construction site for the new warehouses, a great distillery. Very good tours, nice shop.

What a great experience! Thank you Lindsay for this great tour, even for unexperienced whisky drinkers:) this building is simply amazing and spectacular, we got a tour for 2 and it s more than worth being visited!!!

Modern huge visitor center. More of a whiskey industry. Somehow the soul of a distillery is missing here. Compared to Edradour or Strathisla cold and impersonal. The whiskey is still excellent.

Fantastic tour, wonderful nosing and tasting experience in the end. The whole thing is very modern, enjoyable through beautiful facilities, technological presentations etc., so not a traditional distillery at all.

The place has been done out very well. But as a driver I was disappointed that after being to various others and having wee small bottles for later, nothing was offered and all they wanted was your cash. Mean was invented here

Went to 7 distilleries today and this was the only disappointment. The new facility has been so commercialized it takes any of the magic out of the experience. Felt like a giant museum or conference center. Would not go back.

Scotland's most modern and spectacular distilleries your jewelry room is simply amazing

Macallan is a larger, more industrial looking distillery. The tour was enjoyable, and the staff was very nice and sociable. I arrived quite early for my tour, and they were even kind enough to offer me a drink while I waited.

This tour was fantastic. If you enjoy technology and whisky, this is the tour for you. It is presented beautifully, noticeable from the minute you walk through the door.
5 drams for tasting and a very knowledgeable guide (Graham).

What should one write about Macallan now? Maybe the name "a touch too much" would be appropriate. If you enter the visitor center, which deserves 6 stars by design, you will be overwhelmed by impressions at first - but after a short while you get the sober realization that you want to imagine the whiskey production somehow a bit more rustic. With the nostalgic advertising appearances of the competition, Macallan does not have much in common. The visitor center is ostentatious, ultra-modern, cool and sterile - it is only to be hoped that the whiskys produced by this high-tech world will not change the face as the distillery did.

Love this place, has a find place in my heart - as do the people that make it work

Unbelievable tour of a fantastic distillery. Absolutely incredible knowledge of the brand from our tour guide Graham, followed by a deep insight of the product from the barman Seb.

As a woman Macallan whiskey is always my favorite. thank you guys keep up the good work !!!

Having visited a few distilleries in my time, I was wondering why a distillery was an entrant in an Architecture award for the building? On arrival at the Macallan distillery site my questions were answered, the building is quite simply stunning, merging into the landscape and doing so effectively as it is modelled on the surrounding countryside.

Inside the building houses a visitors centre and the full production process, together with a shop and a brasserie for food. Our tour guide Colin was very enthusiastic about both the building and its product and quite knowledgeable on both subjects too.

The layout of the building streamlines the production facility allowing it to be housed in a single room; Gone are the traditional separations between Wash tuns, Mash processes and Distillation, which are the usual hallmarks.of the more traditional setup.

The use of so much computer technology allows the plant to be run by only two people per shift. Technology is at the heart of this tour and allows the presentation to be as slick as it is. There are films explaining the lifestory of the Oak trees that they use, another shows how the casks are produced by the Coopers in Spain and the private tasting in the selected cask store was a nice touch at the end.

This tour was worth doing, even for those that may only ever visit one distillery, you should consider this one, as it lays out the full distillation process, seamlessly under one roof.



A stunning building in a great location, well worth the visit.

Globally this is the best visitor experience. Period. Amazing for the region and Scotland in the wider sense...

Beautiful place, new and big, i don't make the tour but I take the fly test

Popped in on a recent distillery tour to grab some rarer whisky for my pub. Donna approached us and talked us through some of the bottles available. She was brilliant, really friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about the whisky.

The Macallan Distillery tour is one of the best I have attended. The distillery is famous for it's preference to sherry casks but what I was less aware of was the reach it has across the area also owning farms and fishing areas.

It's slightly disappointing that photography isn't allowed anywhere inside the distillery without flash but this does appear to be very common in a number of Speyside distilleries. At the end of the tour you're treated to new made spirit along with four drams which all come from the less unusual expressions.

The guide was local and very knowledgeable including some traditions of the local area that were a revelation to me despite the number of tours I have been on.

WOW, what a totally amazing place. The architecture of the building, the friendliness of all the staff and not forgetting the taste of the unique Whisky that will leave your taste buds wanting more. Not only was the experience of our visit informative, it gave us a unique insight into the workings of the Macallan Distillery. Thanks to everyone for making our visit so special and going that extra mile to tempt us for our return.

We booked a privat tour at the macallen distillery. Our guide was Roy who took a lot of time to show us all around and explain everything there is to know about whiskey! He was the best guide we could have hoped for and the tour was because of that an unbelievable experiance we wont forget! Thank you very much Roy!!!

Wonderful place, friendly staff, a must for all lovers of whiskey and architecture. I will come back!

Rolls-Royce is a good analogy. Spring 15 years ago when I felt I could afford it

Guide was the best part..whiskey distillery was ok, just can't get over the use of steel

The new visitor center is just wow! Breathtaking architecture! We didn't take the tour but had some lovely Whisky at the bar.

Very nice tour with rooms in the production building that remind me more to a museum than a distillery. The new Visitor Centre looks amazing from the outside and I think we need to come back when its finished. The size of the increased production area including the new warehouses is impressive. The tour and tasting is worth the price because you will get four drams, including the 18 year old and a limited edition

We had one of the funniest tours here. The man was really into it. You should have seen Macallan, even though the development might not suit everyone.

This tour was absolutely fantastic. They have clearly spent an impressive amount on not only their new eco-friendly facility but also the tour itself.
Everything about this tour was better than expected. Immidiately on arrival the accommodating staff greeted us with a smile and offered to take our coats. It is extremely modern with interactive elements that explore the whisky creation process in both physical and digital mediums.
Despite the investment into these show elements, the highlights of the tour were our guide Rhys and barman George who were professional, charming, and so knowledgeable that we started asking increasingly difficult questions to see if there was anything they didn't know about whisky. There wasn't.
Highly recommended, even for designated drivers.