El Celler de Can Roca, a Catalan restaurant which opened in Girona in 1986, will open its first restaurant outside of Spain at the end of October.
The new venture by the brothers behind El Celler de Can Roca, will be located at the Macallan distillery in Speyside and is named TimeSpirit. They said the restaurant will be a ‘unique dining concept’ with a tasting menu of dishes sourced from local produce,
TimeSpirit will sit at the heart of The Macallan estate, with a 30-seat dining room designed by award-winning architect and designer David Thulstrup, who designed Noma restaurant in Copenhagen.
TimeSpirit will have a £60 lunch menu and a £95 dinner menu, with a dining room that takes in the rolling scenery of the Macallan estate.
Jaume Ferràs, Creative Director at The Macallan, said of the new venture: “El Celler de Can Roca has been one of The Macallan’s longest partnerships, and for over twelve years we have curated exceptional culinary creations, new products and innovations together.
"From our beginnings in 1824, we have had a long history with Spain and its wines - particularly Jerez, so to bring these two brands together for a permanent dining experience on The Macallan estate is an incredible ambition realised.
“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 and this will be showcased for everyone to experience within the new menu – where it will take influence from the past, imagine the future and make a difference in the present, and really showcase the collaboration between the two brands in a playful and exciting way.”
The Roca Brothers, from El Celler de Can Roca added: “El Celler de Can Roca’s bond with Scotland is thrilling and TimeSpirit will enable us to envisage what El Celler de Can Roca would be like on the 60th parallel north.
"The many trips we have made to Scotland and the inspiration we have found in its old cookery books have afforded us the chance to pay homage to Scottish cuisine.
"We have been all over the country, drinking in its spirit, devoting time to it and we would now like to share our cooking through The Macallan. We celebrate our longstanding partnership as part of The Macallan’s 200th anniversary and distil its exciting history from the kitchen.”
Rachel Walters, Director of Operations at The Macallan explained that the menu would utilise Scotland’s larder with ingredients coming from a kitchen garden and local suppliers.
She said: “The opening of TimeSpirit is an incredible accomplishment for The Macallan and will offer diners something completely unique in a setting like no other.
"We have the finest Scottish larder on our doorstep, with a kitchen garden and a hyper-local sourcing programme, which will offer fresh, local ingredients alongside the welcoming Speyside hospitality for every guest who walks through the door.”
TimeSpirit is opening as part of the Macallan’s 200th anniversary celebrations, and following on from a special Cirque du Soleil run of shows in the summer.
It’s not the first fine dining restaurant within a distillery. The Glenturret Lalique restaurant opened in 2021 and was awarded a Michelin Star a few months later.
This year the restaurant was awarded Two Michelin Stars, the second restaurant in Scotland to hold this accolade - alongside Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles.
TimeSpirit at the Macallan distillery will open on 31 October and bookings can be made on the Macallan website.
