LEADING Scottish brand and cultural destination specialists, Studio MB, have been appointed by Gordon & MacPhail to design its new distillery visitor experience in the Highlands.
Located in the Cairngorms National Park, The Cairn is Gordon & MacPhail’s new state of the art whisky distillery. It is currently under construction and scheduled to open its doors to the public in summer 2022.
Central to Gordon & MacPhail’s vision is the creation of a world class visitor destination and a fitting home for this exciting new whisky brand.
Studio MB has been commissioned to deliver all design and implementation stages for the project, from inception to completion, including narrative planning, content development, visitor experience design, including, exhibition, interiors, graphics, AV software and hardware design, lighting design, script writing, and project management.
Craig Mann, Co-Founding Director at Studio MB, said: “We are very excited to have been appointed by Gordon & MacPhail to imagine and deliver their new distillery visitor experience. They have a truly remarkable and unique vision to present.
“This will be a story about time invested – an immersive journey that started over 125 years ago, but one that continues to look far into our futures.”
Ian Chapman, Marketing Director at Gordon & MacPhail said: “Our desire is to create an astonishing and truly memorable ‘must-visit’ visitor experience attracting guests from all over the world.
“Studio MB continues to play an integral role as we aim to deliver this intention. Drawing on their expertise in creating world-leading visitor experiences they have brought an entirely fresh perspective to the project, alongside creative flair, a visitor centric methodology and professional rigour.
“We look forward to working with Studio MB and other partners over the coming months as we bring the vision to life in preparation for welcoming whisky lovers and adventure seekers to The Cairn from summer 2022.”
Studio MB is working alongside brand designers We Are Good, based in Glasgow, as well as NORR Architects and Morrison Construction who are respectively creating the brand identity and the new distillery.
Over the course of the last 18 months, Studio MB has secured multiple new business wins despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and ongoing travel restrictions.
New projects include the new ‘Discovering the Deep’ galleries for Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh; exhibition design for the Spanish Gallery and for the Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland; interpretation of Exeter Cathedral; and most recently appointed by Edinburgh-based chocolatiers COCO to create a new chocolate visitor experience situated between the Forth Bridges in Port Edgar.
Studio MB is a multi-disciplinary design agency based in Edinburgh. The firm creates brand destinations, museum exhibitions and heritage attractions throughout the UK and overseas including USA, Middle East and India – visitor experiences designed to inspire, involve and inform.
Studio MB’s award-winning projects include Triumph Motorcycles Factory Experience in Hinckley; The Story of JCB India customer experience in Delhi; the Al Salam Palace Museum in Kuwait; The D-Day Story in Portsmouth; Titanic Belfast; Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh; Leicester’s King Richard III Visitor Centre; Open Treasures at Durham Cathedral; Coventry Transport Museum; and The Story of JCB customer experience at their World Head Quarters near Uttoxeter.
