The Roca Brothers Just Opened a 24-Seat Restaurant Inside This Renowned Speyside Distillery

Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca was voted World’s Best Restaurant in 2013 and 2015.

The Macallan is commonly regarded as the world’s premiere purveyor of top-shelf scotch. So when it came time to launch a permanent dining concept within its state-of-the-art $320 million distillery in Speyside, it was only sensible that it would enlist the talent of one of the world’s preeminent eateries. And that’s precisely the pairing we’re going to get with the official opening of TimeSpirit. The new kitchen debuts this month as a culinary collaboration with El Celler de Can Roca, a legendary three-Michelin-starred outpost in Girona, Spain, which has twice topped the list of World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu.

The dining experience here will be built around a nine-course tasting menu. Most of the ingredients employed therein are sourced from the surrounding Scottish Highlands. This includes seasonal local produce — some of it plucked from the kitchen garden on the brand’s 485-acre estate — as well as land and sea-based proteins delivered daily from around the country.

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Offerings will evolve throughout the year, but some staples at the onset include a vegetarian haggis, spiced with whisky-infused mayonnaise; sherry-cured mackerel; pastrami on steamed brioche; and an artful, edible deconstruction of the primary components used to craft Macallan. Think fermented barley and yeast cream, rendered playfully through the signature gastronomic approach of the Roca brothers. The trio of legendary tastemakers are the alchemists responsible for the success of their eponymous Spanish outpost and their influence on TimeSpirit is evident from start to finish.

“El Celler de Can Roca’s philosophy mirrors that of The Macallan, with a deep inspiration from nature, a commitment to community and a relentless pursuit of innovation,” according to Jaume Ferràs, creative director for the whisky brand. “This will all be showcased for everyone to experience within the new menu. It will take influence from the past, imagine the future and make a difference in the present, and really bring to life the collaboration between the two brands in a playful and exciting way.”

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Each of the dishes can be paired with exclusive pours from the on-site scotch library, or with elegant expressions of sherry wine imported from Valdespino in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. That latter category of liquid is used to season casks used in The Macallan’s maturation process. As such, it is largely responsible for the distinctive flavors and aromas that make the whisky an international sensation.

The food will arrive in a 24-seat dining room designed by David Thulstrup, an award-winning architect who previously worked on Noma in Copenhagen. The underlying aesthetic of the space is intended to evoke an immersion in nature, enhanced by floor-to-ceiling views of the undulating hills, which stretch out from table into distant horizon.

By all ostensible metrics, the restaurant is well-positioned to eventually receive its own deployment of Michelin stars — and it actually wouldn’t be the first scotch distillery to achieve the accolade. That honor belongs to The Glenturret, which recorded a star for its Lalique Restaurant back in February of 2022 — a mere seven months after opening. TimeSpirit would have even less time to follow suit; the next Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland is expected to drop in four months’ time.

Although it just opened for service, the new restaurant actually marks the latest chapter in a 12-year-long collaboration between Macallan and the Roca brothers. The tandem also work together to build flavors for the Distil Your World collection, a series of limited-edition scotches, in which each release celebrates a major culinary hub including London, New York, and Mexico City. Some of the menu selections on the new tasting menu will pay edible homage to these world-class locales. Naturally, they are best washed down with the help of world-class whisky.

The lunch tasting menu at TimeSpirit is offered at £60 per person, while dinner starts at £95 per person. Both can now be booked here.