The team behind China’s first malt whiskey distillery overcame challenges posed by the 32-acre site’s remote location and COVID-19 to build a manufacturing facility and visitor center that aims to be the center of a nascent local tourism industry.
The distillery sits below Mount Emei, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is nestled beside the DaXi River—its buildings constructed into the sloped landscape. The team worked with local officials to build roads, a fire station and a wastewater treatment plant. The site itself includes three production buildings, a visitor center with a domed courtyard and a restaurant cantilevered over the river.