El Celler de Can Roca to open first overseas restaurant in Scotland

Legendary Catalonian restaurant El Celler de Can Roca will open its first restaurant outside Spain in the Scottish Highlands at the end of the month.

The three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Girona, run by brothers Joan, Josep, and Jordi Roca is widely regarded as one of the world’s best. The brothers will now bring their culinary artistry to the Scottish Highlands at a restaurant to be named TimeSpirit, on the Macallan estate on the banks of the River Spey, in Speyside alongside the whisky distillery.

TimeSpirit will feature a locally sourced tasting menu priced at £60 for lunch and £95 for dinner. The restaurant, which can accommodate 30 guests, results from a 12-year partnership between El Celler de Can Roc and whisky maker Macallan and is a part of the distillery’s 200-year anniversary celebrations.

The Roca brothers have a longtime interest in Scotland, they previously wrote a book, Distilling Scotland, exploring Sottish cuisine and culture.  They described the new venture as “thrilling” in a statement and said, writing on Instagram, “We’ve traveled the country, we’ve soaked in its spirit... now we want to share our cuisine.” TimeSpirit will feature an open kitchen to welcome guests into the creative culinary process and large windows offering sweeping views of Speyside’s rolling hills, to reflect the important role of nature in both the culinary and distilling artistry taking place on the estate.

While the restaurant will celebrate The Macallan’s single malt whisky there will also be a selection of wines and sherries curated by Josep, who told Spanish daily La Vanguardia: "We have always been reluctant to open abroad because we wanted it to be authentic.

"Going to Scotland seems much more original to us. Going from the 42nd to the 60th parallel is a creative challenge, especially in a hyper-accelerated world like the one we live in today.

"The plan is for the restaurant to be open for the next three years. After that, we will keep an eye on things to see how it goes."

TimeSpirit will open on the Macallan Estate on October 31.