With New Shops, The Macallan Is Increasing Its Airport Presence

If you’re traveling to (or from) London or Los Angeles and you’d like to pick up some excellent single malt whisky when you do so, your options just got a lot more interesting — as long as you’re flying through the right airport. Since the beginning of May, The Macallan has announced the opening of two new retail spaces in London Heathrow and Los Angeles International Airport. Think bespoke design, art installations and — yes — an excellent selection of Scotch.

Both retail spaces were designed by architect Jamie Fobert, who’s earned plenty of acclaim over the years for his innovative juxtaposition of old and new. The London Heathrow outpost, which opened its doors in May, features a number of design elements intended to evoke Speyside, including a wall shaped in a way similar to the undulating roof at The Macallan’s distillery.

“As the U.K.’s international gateway, Heathrow is where global journeys begin and end, and The Macallan is bringing the spirit of their Scottish home to life for passengers from all over the world,” said Heathrow’s retail director, Fraser Brown, in a statement.

Just over two months after the Heathrow opening, The Macallan’s LAX shop opened its doors in mid-July. Fobert’s design there also echoes the roof of The Macallan’s distillery and also includes space for an art installation by artist Sarah Ippolito. And while Los Angeles is a long way from Scotland, the shop at LAX will also feature field recordings made on-site at the distillery reimagined by Mimi Xu Studio.

How The Macallan Creates a $190,000 Single Malt

The Speyside whisky makers just released TIME : SPACE, an opulent nod to the distillery’s 200th anniversary

Notable design is great, but there’s another question whisky enthusiasts are likely asking: will there be interesting single malts available for purchase there? According to the distillery’s announcement regarding the Heathrow shop, spirits available there will include “TIME:SPACE Mastery, Red Collection and certain Fine & Rare expressions.” Meanwhile, FredMinnick.com reports that the LAX outpost will sell the likes of “boutique-exclusive, limited edition and travel exclusive whiskies such as the Colour Collection.” It’s good news for single malt enthusiasts taking to the skies.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…