I was one of the first to eat at Roca brother’s Macallan TimeSpirit restaurant - it's a harmony of Scotland and Spain

A cafe with lovely homemade soup and scones, yes, but a multi-course tasting menu, unlikely, especially given that distilleries have only been open to the public since the late 1960s.

That all changed when The Glenturret was bought by Lalique, underwent a refurbishment and opened a restaurant with chef Mark Donald at the helm. This year it was awarded a coveted second Michelin Star, putting it, and distillery dining, on the map. 

It is no real surprise, given people’s search for a new experience and experiential dining, the whisky-making realm is becoming the next place to dine. Whisky is, by design, made to be shared and enjoyed among friends, so why not do so while enjoying a meal in the place the drams are made?

The latest whisky distillery to introduce fine dining is the Macallan, and in true Macallan style, isn’t doing things by halves. The team there have a long-standing relationship with the brothers behind El Celler de Can Roca, who have chosen the Speyside home of the brand to be their first overseas restaurant, TimeSpirit.

I sat down with Joan and Josep Roca ahead of the restaurant opening. They explained they always said no to opening another restaurant, but stressed the Macallan was ‘home’ to them. They also highlighted how good Scottish produce is, from seafood and meat to vegetables and foraged items from the estate.

When asked if Macallan was aiming to follow in the footsteps of The Glenturret Lalique restaurant, creative director Jaume Ferras said: “No, we’re not looking for a Michelin Star, or anything like that.

“We’re looking to embrace the culture, to learn from local chefs, to use local ingredients to offer a great experience to our guests, to work on the creativity of the presentation of the dishes and also the wine and drinks pairings. That’s what we are focused on. The Macallan has, in its DNA, a connection with the community and its [TimeSpirit] about opening an experience for the community that lives here.”

TimeSpirit has been 12 years in the making and is now open. The 30-seat dining room was designed by award-winning architect and designer David Thulstrup, who designed Noma restaurant in Copenhagen.

Inside you will find a paired-back space with hints of oak, Scottish slate and metal. There is curved private dining areas, which look a bit like they’ve been influenced by casks and everywhere makes the most of the views of the estate.

Of the design, Mr Thulstrup said: “One of the most beautiful things about the restaurant is how it navigates within the artificial light and the natural light. It is a project that, because of the large windows, lives with time and it lives with the daylight.

“In some way, the restaurant closes around itself at night. I wanted to create a very intimate experience within a very large space. That was very important for me, to make sure that the guests that come to TimeSpirit have a very intimate feeling.”

I was extraordinarily lucky to be one of a small group at the first dinner in TimeSpirit, ahead of its opening to the public. Our night started with a Macallan whisky cocktail with orange and vanilla before being taken upstairs into the restaurant. The dining area has a completely different feel at night than during the day, with warm lighting giving an intimate feel to the space.

Our meal started with an array of appetisers presented as mini bites representing the different locations in Distil Your World, the Amazon documentary from the Roca brothers and Macallan. There was a take on coronation chicken, to represent London, veggie haggis for Scotland, a taco for Mexico and a pastrami sandwich for New York.

These were served with a Spanish sparkling wine. This was followed by a vibrant green seaweed dish called vegetarian surf and turf; celeriac with pear and toasted barley; oysters steamed in Macallan and served with seaweed and oyster soup; sole la meuniere with ravioli, parsnip, artichoke and truffle; whisky marinated beef tenderloin with Macallan aged mustard; slow cooked pork followed by two desserts - dulce de leche with candy floss and a from cask to chocolate plate. The wines were a mix of whites and red from mainly Spain (with one French), two sherries and to end, we had a Macallan 18 sherry cask.

TimeSpirit is a real mix of Spain meets Speyside - a celebration of Scottish produce and the estate on which the restaurant is located paired with the best of Spanish wine, sherries and an influence in some of the dishes.

It is a bold move from this luxury brand but, at years in the making, it feels like the start of a new way to appreciate this sprawling building, which the Macallan now calls home. And to do so with such imaginative, theatrical dishes, great wine and sherries - I love to see sherry on a tasting menu - is something both visitors and locals will be doing for years to come.

TimeSpirit has a £60 lunch menu and a £95 dinner menu, and is fully booked for January, but bookings are being taken for February. Find out more via the Macallan website.