Musicians from around the world collaborate to create track
inspired by The Cairn Distillery
The new song, featuring Scotland’s Admiral Fallow, is part of The Cairn Distillery’s goal to inspire visitors to pursue long-held ambitions
Three musical artists, Admiral Fallow from Scotland, Madeleine Roger from Canada, and Yu Tsan Pin from Taiwan, have fulfilled a shared ambition to collaborate with other artists internationally. The new song is inspired by a visit to The Cairn Distillery and its surrounding location in the Cairngorms National Park.
The Cairn Distillery, which opened its doors in October, is the first new distillery to be built in the Cairngorms National Park for more than a century. Its owners, Moray-based family business, Gordon & MacPhail, aims to build on their 127-year heritage of producing exceptional Scotch whisky and creating legacies that inspire future generations.
Cairns have inspired people to explore and discover new paths for millennia. To reflect that tradition, The Cairn Distillery aims to inspire – and facilitate – visitors to pursue a path they have always wanted to explore. To launch the initiative, The Cairn has worked with three artists who shared a goal to collaborate internationally and create a new track. The result is a song written by Admiral Fallow and Madeleine Roger, appropriately called The Cairn, which has been remixed by the founder of the Kind of Blue record label, Taiwan’s Yu Tsan Pin.
Admiral Fallow, Madeleine Roger, and Yu Tsan Pin met for the first time when they visited The Cairn when construction was near completion. Nestled on the banks of the river Spey on the northern frontier of the Cairngorms National Park, the distillery has been designed to reflect and respect its environment; a modern home for the ancient craft of whisky-making. From its sedum roof which encourages insect life to thrive, to the Caithness stone pathways, every aspect is designed to respect the natural shapes and colours around it.
Before, during and after their visit to the Highlands, the artists worked together to create the track which was written by Admiral Fallow, with lyrics co-written by Madeleine Roger, a singer-songwriter who hails from Winnipeg, Canada.
Singer-songwriter Louis Abbott, who formed the Scottish musical group Admiral Fallow in 2007, commented on the collaboration: “I’ve always taken inspiration from the landscape around me. This is a very unique collaboration for us, given that there’s a brand-new voice coming into the sound of music that we make. To work with Madeleine and Yu Tsan and show them one of Scotland’s best sites and take in the views, sounds and flavours of the Cairngorms National Park, there was a lot of pride in that, and we’re really pleased with the end result.”
Canadian songwriter Madeleine Roger, commented on her visit to the new distillery: “Everything was so beautiful, and I really tried to get a sense of the landscape: the way the buildings are made, the vast openness and the rocky mountains, and the way of life there. We each had a lot of time to ruminate on our observations about the area and then find something meaningful in that – and I really hope that sense of curiosity comes across in the song.”
Ian Chapman, marketing director of Gordon & MacPhail explained: “Having secured such a beautiful and awe-inspiring location overlooking the river Spey, we wanted to ensure our new distillery complements the majesty of the landscape. We are delighted with the result, and we hope visitors leave feeling inspired. With that in mind we are thrilled to have worked with three incredible artists to create a new track to celebrate the opening of the distillery doors. I believe the song perfectly showcases everything we want to achieve here.”
The Cairn is open seven days a week all year round, visitor experiences start at £25, with three options available. With magnificent views of its stunning location just outside Grantown-on-Spey, each immersive experience culminates in a whisky tasting in The Discovery Room. With floor-to-ceiling windows, the room provides a stunning backdrop for visitors as they taste the future today: blended malt whiskies created to give a sense of notes, flavours and aromas that will be seen in the character of single malts that will be released from The Cairn Distillery in the 2030s.
Food is also exclusively available to those who take a tour at The Gathering which offers tapas-style plates of the finest Scottish produce designed as the perfect accompaniment to an experience like no other.
To book your trip to The Cairn Distillery, listen to the new track and watch a short film about how the collaboration came together, please visit: thecairndistillery.com/beacon-of-inspiration
Notes
Gordon & MacPhail is a family-owned premium spirits company based in Elgin, Scotland. Owner of Scotch whisky distilleries, Benromach and The Cairn, Gordon & MacPhail is also a Scotch whisky maturation expert, the owner of Scottish Gin brand, Red Door and the operator of a wholesale business in the United Kingdom selling premium Scotch whiskies and spirits, along with a high-quality retail outlet.
The company owns Benromach Distillery located in Forres in Moray. Benromach Single Malt Scotch Whisky is handcrafted using traditional methods by a small team of distillers using the finest Scottish barley and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. The multi award-winning portfolio of single malts is enjoyed by whisky drinkers worldwide.
The company launched Red Door in the summer of 2018. Created at Benromach Distillery, this award winning, small batch Scottish gin now forms a strategic part of the company’s product portfolio.
Work commenced in July 2020 on The Cairn, the company’s second distillery, overlooking the River Spey towards the Cairngorms. The new site will add further distillation capacity and brand ownership to the company’s asset base and is a key part of the plans to continue building a long-term sustainable business. A high-quality visitor experience offering tours and tastings will also attract visitors from around the world.
Since the founding of the business in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has sent casks to Scotch whisky distilleries throughout Scotland to be filled with new-make spirit, before being left to mature for many years either at the distillery or in their bonded warehouses in Elgin. The Gordon & MacPhail portfolio offers some of the world’s rarest and most sought-after Single Malt Scotch Whiskies to discerning whisky drinkers globally.
The company’s wholesale business serves customers throughout the United Kingdom selling Benromach Single Malt, Red Door gin and Gordon & MacPhail whiskies into the on and off trade. The business also exclusively represents a number of ‘distributor’ brands and stocks premium whiskies and spirits.
The retail shop in Elgin remains the ‘spiritual home’ of the business, 127 years after it was first established in 1895. The shop is home to a large selection of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies and is a destination for many whisky aficionados from around the world.
