Macallan Distillery

AOC Archaeology Group undertook an archaeological excavation on behalf of The Macallan Distillery Company Limited following an earlier field evaluation ahead of the development of a new distillery and visitor centre on land adjacent to the existing distillery.

A total area of c. 12,000 m² was stripped of topsoil and all archaeological

features uncovered were excavated and recorded. The excavation zone

encompassed an area around all the archaeological features discovered

during the evaluation phase.

The excavation revealed four probable post-ring roundhouse structures whilst to the southeast there was a ring ditch roundhouse and a four-poster structure. In amongst these structures there were a number of pits and postholes of varying sizes. To the far northeast there was a large more modern feature interpreted as a 19th century sand and gravel extraction pit.

Information from OASIS ID - aocarcha1-176183 (L Dunbar) 2014.

NJ 27800 44700 AOC Archaeology Group undertook an archaeological evaluation on behalf of The Macallan Distillery Company Limited during the development of a new distillery and visitor centre on land adjacent to the existing distillery.

A total of 32 evaluation trenches totalling an area of 5026 m² were excavated within the development area. Of the c.7.5 ha site a total of c.2.5 ha was unavailable to trench due to presence of mature woodland, live services, existing infrastructure such as roads and carparks. Of the land available for evaluation the trenching totalled just over 10 %.

The evaluation revealed a stratigraphic sequence of sandy topsoil overlying natural deposits of sand gravel and clay. Numerous small archaeological cut features were identified of which variously sized pits were most prominent alongside some smaller postholes and a possible ringditch roundhouse. These features where investigated revealed only charcoal with no artefacts recovered which could date the activity on site. From the topsoil a single struck lithic was found.

AOC Archaeology Group was commissioned by the Macallan Distillery to undertake a programme of historic building recording at the site the Macallan Distillery near Craigellachie in Moray. The work has been completed as a condition on the planning application.

A number of buildings forming the main production plant of the distillery are due to be made redundant and therefore a photographic and written survey was required of them prior to this, In addition, some 20th century farm buildings and late 19th century kennels and their associated cottage was also recorded.

The majority of the distillery buildings were mid-late 20th century in date, including the two still houses. However, the remains of an earlier 19th century building – the Hi -Mac building survived to the rear of the complex.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Macallan Distillery Co Ltd

Lindsay Dunbar and Diana Sproat – AOC Archaeology Group

(Source: DES)