On Location: The Macallan unveils ‘Nurtured by Nature’ luxury boutique at Heathrow with Avolta

UK. The Macallan has opened an 84sq m boutique at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, in partnership with Avolta and Heathrow Airport.

Situated in the luxury area of T5 – the airport’s busiest terminal – the boutique is designed to offer travellers a luxurious multi-sensory immersion into The Macallan’s heritage and craftsmanship. It is the first spirits brand to have a standalone boutique in this zone.

The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan was on location for the opening (7 May), which began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by guided tour of the luxury boutique by The Macallan Brand Education Manager Stefan Mases. The event concluded with a tasting and visit to the Heathrow Airport Windsor VIP suite.

Designed by architect Jamie Fobert, the boutique was developed under The Macallan’s new ‘Nurtured by Nature’ experiential retail concept. The concept draws inspiration from The Macallan’s Speyside estate and expresses the brand’s connection to nature through architectural cues and material storytelling.

Key design elements include a wave-like wall reminiscent of the distillery’s signature undulating roofline, and a copper display that references the curiously small stills instrumental to creating The Macallan whisky. An Albariza stone wall behind the boutique’s bar pays homage to the chalky soils of Jerez, from where The Macallan’s sherry-seasoned casks originate.

Botanical-inspired merchandising features – including aroma bells, foliage and natural textures – reinforce the boutique’s thematic grounding in the natural world.

Notably, the space features multi-sensory art installations exclusive to the Heathrow location.

Watch the YouTube video above to get an inside look at The Macallan boutique. Filmed on location by Hannah Tan and edited by Declan Moodie. 

‘The Botanic Series’, a triptych by London-based artist Juli Manara, captures The Macallan Estate’s essence using layered photographic collages and surrealist elements. Hundreds of Manara’s photographic images were combined to create an autumnal composition where the distillery’s architecture blends with the Highland landscape and The Macallan whisky’s natural colour.

A bespoke soundscape, ‘Connecting Our Home to the World’, created by Mimi Xu Studio using field recordings from the distillery grounds, further enhances the immersive environment.

The boutique offers an expanded selection from The Macallan’s Prestige portfolio, including rare expressions such as TIME:SPACE Mastery, The Red Collection and select Fine & Rare releases. For the first time, travellers can browse a range of lifestyle accessories – including exclusive scarves, hats and glassware – previously only available at The Macallan Estate.

The customer journey is enhanced by dedicated brand consultants, providing personalised product education and guided tastings. A one-to-one seating area supports in-depth engagements, while an interactive digital tool – ‘Discover Your Expression’ – helps shoppers explore whisky recommendations aligned to their individual taste profiles and specific occasions.

Speaking at the event, attended by key stakeholders and media, Edrington Regional Managing Director Global Travel Retail Jeremy Speirs commented: “Opening our new boutique at Heathrow Terminal 5 marks a major milestone for The Macallan, reinforcing our global growth ambitions and commitment to elevating the retail experience in ultra-premium spirits.

“Heathrow’s status as Europe’s premier travel hub, as well as our close, strategic partnerships with London Heathrow and Avolta, make it the ideal location to showcase our brand’s rich heritage, exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

“We are proud to offer an immersive and memorable experience, enabling travellers to creatively connect deeply with the unique spirit and story of The Macallan in a space which offers a strong emotional link to the brand’s home in Speyside.”

Heathrow Retail Director Fraser Brown added: “We are delighted to welcome The Macallan’s new boutique to Terminal 5, a space that not only elevates our luxury retail offering but also brings a sense of place and storytelling that resonates with international travellers.

“As the UK’s international gateway, Heathrow is where global journeys begin and end, and The Macallan is bringing the spirit of its Scottish home to life for passengers from all over the world. This opening reflects our continued ambition to curate truly world-class experiences for every passenger who passes through the airport.”

“We are very pleased to celebrate the opening of The Macallan Boutique at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, in collaboration with Edrington and Heathrow Airport,” added Avolta CEO for the UK & Ireland Fred Creighton.

“We’ve created an immersive environment that rewrites luxury travel retail, where storytelling, innovation and craftsmanship come together, offering travellers exclusive whiskies, sensory-led experiences and bespoke lifestyle accessories. We’re excited to welcome guests to discover and connect with The Macallan in this truly unique setting.”

During the event, The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan and Edrington Regional Managing Director Global Travel Retail Jeremy Speirs sat down to discuss the Nurtured by Nature concept and what lies ahead for The Macallan following its milestone 200th anniversary last year.

In your view, how does this expanded store represent an evolution from The Macallan’s previous standalone boutique in Terminal 5?

We started in 2019 with our first-ever standalone spirits store at Heathrow, located upstairs opposite Harrods which at the time was a bold move, but one we believed in. Despite the challenges of COVID, we’ve demonstrated our value to the airport, to Avolta, and to ourselves.

Due to the new security layout upstairs, we had to vacate that space, which prompted discussions with Avolta and Heathrow about our next steps. That led to a great opportunity – a real Trinity moment – where we secured our current location downstairs. This gave us the perfect platform to bring our Nurtured by Nature concept to life for the first time in a boutique travel retail setting. It’s exciting to see this realised in 2025, six years after our original launch.

This new space is a big statement as it marks the first standalone spirits store in the luxury area. How do you think The Macallan fits into the airport’s luxury offer?

A key factor for us is our brand adjacencies. We’re a luxury spirits brand, and it’s more than just the product – it’s about quality and craftsmanship passed down over 200 years. As guardians of that legacy, we’re committed to upholding it.

Being among other luxury brands in Terminal 5 is absolutely right for us. Interestingly, some of those brands have already approached us, acknowledging us as peers. Their customer base overlaps with ours, and we’re already seeing positive interactions between the two. [Interview continues below.]

Tell us more about the Nurtured by Nature concept. How does this concept build on the customer experience of The Macallan’s previous boutique, and what does it say about your wider store experience strategy moving forward?

Anyone who has visited The Macallan Estate knows how special our Speyside location is. We have a 485-acre estate, surrounded by nature, and we’re committed to preserving that. Even the distillery design is intended to blend with the landscape rather than compete with it.

Our product is incredibly natural – just water, yeast and barley – and we carry that sustainability ethos through everything we do from packaging, procurement, bottling and the materials in our boutiques.

Nurtured by Nature brings the essence of The Macallan estate into travel retail, creating a home away from home for travellers and whisky enthusiasts. The store design and materials reflect that, while still offering an elevated, luxury experience. It’s about sharing the estate’s magic with the world – and in this case, bringing it to London Heathrow.

You’ve also collaborated with local artist Juli Manara for the boutique’s key art piece. Can you tell us more about the thinking behind that collaboration?

It’s the first time I’ve seen the space with the artwork fully installed, and it ties everything together beautifully. We gave Juli a brief, then took her to the estate so she could experience it firsthand. She incorporated subtle elements like our curiously small stills, which define our signature flavour. It really brings a sense of place and strengthens the overall concept.

Notably, the boutique features several new interactive spaces and experiences, including a private tasting area. Can you tell us more about these features?  

We’re focused on building an experience. Beyond the artwork, we’ve included olfactory elements, an interactive Discover Your Expression digital experience, and even soundscapes recorded at the estate through a collaboration with Mimi Xu Studio. Subtle details like these elevate the shopper journey.

Our previous space was temporary – even though we stayed for six years. It was never intended to be long term. This time, we were very intentional about creating a quieter, more private area for conversations, education or purchasing decisions. It’s about offering a more refined experience.

Can we expect to see the Nurtured by Nature concept rolling out at other key airports in the future?

Yes – and no. We’re always exploring new locations, but we won’t do this everywhere. It’s about carefully selecting sites based on factors such as passenger profile, footfall and partnership potential. Terminal 5 was the right choice at Heathrow because of the mix of American, African and other international travellers.

The Trinity model needs to align too – not every airport partner shares our vision of what a spirits boutique can be. But we are actively seeking larger-format retail spaces in the right airports, with the right adjacencies.

This is also the first Macallan store to feature non-spirits merchandise and some very rare bottlings. Does that reflect the kind of clientele you’re expecting here?

Absolutely. We tailor our assortment to each location. In a space like this, we want to offer an elevated consumer experience and access to a broader product range, including ultra-prestige bottles. Some customers even contact us in advance to request specific items, and we try to make those available for pickup on their next trip. It’s all part of what we aim to deliver here.

We’ve previously talked about the broader challenges in travel retail – tariffs, market shifts and changing demographics. How is The Macallan and Edrington Global Travel Retail adapting to these challenges and what role does premiumisation play?

We’ve been focused on premiumisation for over a decade, and we’re not changing course. The growth is happening in prestige spirits, not mainstream ones, so we’re confident in our direction.

Yes, there’s global uncertainty right now, but we view it as a cyclical blip. The industry goes through this every eight to ten years, and it always rebounds – usually stronger. Our strategy is about reinforcing quality and craftsmanship  and positioning the brand correctly. With the right environments like this boutique, consumers will find us – and we’re working hard to reach them too.

You celebrated The Macallan’s milestone 200th anniversary last year. What does the next chapter hold for The Macallan?

We want to keep creating exceptional, immersive experiences where consumers can engage with the brand, learn about it and feel its quality and craftsmanship. We’re not changing direction. There are still so many stories to tell, and we’ll keep drawing from our rich history to bring those to life.

Exciting things are definitely on the horizon.