Discover The Cairn distillery
Discover The Cairn distillery
Scotch whisky
Located in the small town of Grantown-on-Spey, The Cairn distillery sits at the border of Cairngorms national park. This mountain range, whose name comes from the Gaelic An Càrn Gorm (‘blue mountain’), is home to five of the United Kingdom’s six tallest peaks, including Cairn Gorm itself.
As one approaches the distillery, pastures and moors give way to woods of Scots pine — vestiges of the primeval Caledonian forests — interspersed with mountainous summits. The Cairn, opened by Gordon & MacPhail in 2022, is characterised by its futuristic architecture and circular layout. Touring these buildings of stone, glass, and steel reveals stunningly modern settings, fully open to the surrounding landscape.
◊ To reach the upper production floor, visitors must cross a footbridge suspended over the entrance hall and go through a door decorated with a circular chronological frieze. This mural pairs future years with the ages of whiskies currently undergoing maturation. Here, the bottlings of decades to come are already being planned.
◊ On the upper floor lies a vast semi-circular chamber of resolutely contemporary design. Every step of production is carried out here, from brewing to distilling. Large bay windows provide a view of the nearby Spey, flooding the space with natural light and nearly fooling us into believing we are strolling outdoors, among the stills.
◊ An immersive experience, dedicated to the history of Gordon & MacPhail and to the genesis of The Cairn, juxtaposes the history of the company (beginning with John Urquhart in 1895) with great feats of human exploration: the conquest of the South Pole, the climbing of Everest, the Moon landing. A poetic reminder that the timeline of whisky is but part of a much longer history.
◊ Inside the circular tasting room, the CRN57° collection — a nod to the distillery’s latitude—features blends aged 12 to 70 years, drawn from Gordon & MacPhail’s cellars. These bottlings were designed as previews of The Cairn’s single malts, which will be aged at Benromach (owned by Gordon & MacPhail since 1993). A promising taste of the future!
◊ On the premises, the distillery’s restaurant — The Garden — is an opportunity for an indulgent post-tasting break. Its menu of Highlands fare served on small sharing platters is a showcase for local flavours. The Scotch pie, made with mutton from stock raised in Cairngorms national park, deserves an honourable mention. The delicious bread is sourced from a Grantown-on-Spey bakery. The view of the Spey gives the whole experience an additional charm.
◊ After the visit, head to Cairngorms national park, the largest swathe of protected natural spaces in the United Kingdom at 4,500 square kilometres — roughly the size of Luxembourg. Founded in 2003, this park is home to many hiking trails, ranging from the arduous ascents of Ben Macdhui, Braeriach, and Cairn Toul to gentler rambles through forests of Scots pine. These are home to a few rare species, including golden eagles, tetras, and Scottish wildcats.
◊ Less than ten minutes from The Cairn, a stone silhouette takes shape on the moors: Castle Roy. Located north of the village of Nethy Bridge, this ruined castle — built around 1200AD by the Comyn clan — is one of Scotland’s oldest remaining stone forts. As it was never restored, it provides a rare glimpse of mediaeval defensive architecture.
The Cairn
The Cairn
The Cairn
THE CAIRN Vision
40%blended whisky70cLscotland
Ref: 69700
Located in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, The Cairn distillery, owned by the renowned Gordon & Macphail distillery, was inaugurated on October 18, 2022. While awaiting the bottling of its first single malt expected in mid-2030, it launched a range of blended malts aged from 12 to 70 years in 2024. This vers...See more42.90 €
