Architects: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
Area: 7,350 m²
Year: 2021
Photography: Hao Chen
Landscape Design: YIYU Design
Contractor: Qi’an Group; Suzhou Hezhan
Interior Construction: K&H International
Lead Architects: Lyndon Neri, Rossana Hu
Associate Director: Nellie Yang
Associate: Utsav Jain; Siyu Chen
Design Team: Feng Wang; Guo Peng; Josh Murphy; Fergus Davis; Alexandra Heijink; Vivian Bao; Yota Takaira; Rosie Tseng; Nicolas Fardet; Yin Sheng; Lili Cheng; July Huang; Luna Hong; Haiou Xin
Client: Pernod Ricard
Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment: Design Republic
Experience Design: BRC Imagination Arts
City/Location: Emeishan
Country: China
The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery marks the establishment of China’s first malt whisky production facility, developed by Pernod Ricard and designed by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office. Located at the foothills of Mount Emei, the project integrates industrial production with immersive visitor experiences across a site shaped by water, topography, and cultural symbolism. The architectural strategy is grounded in Chinese philosophical concepts that emphasise balance between opposing forces, translating these ideas into a spatial dialogue between industrial rigour and contemplative exploration. Production facilities are embedded into the northern slope of the site, while public-facing buildings are conceived as sculptural forms that engage the surrounding landscape. Material choices draw from both the mineral qualities of the site and the craft of whisky-making, creating a tactile continuity between process, place, and architecture. Through restrained formal gestures and a carefully modulated relationship with the terrain, the distillery positions itself as both a working factory and a cultural destination, reflecting a synthesis of contemporary design, vernacular reference, and experiential storytelling.
Winning the design competition presented us with the distinct challenge of creating The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery, which was the inaugural home for Pernod Ricard’s first whisky in China. This project became an embodiment of the refined artistry inherent in whisky-making, engaging in a dialogue with traditional Chinese craftsmanship and material knowledge.
Interview with Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
A palette of varied concrete, cement, and stone mixtures forms the foundational materiality, resonating with the pronounced mineral character of the site itself. Accents are drawn directly from the craft of whisky: the warm tones of copper from the distillation pots to the rich textures of aged oak from the casks. The design thus serves as a physical narrative, translating the spirit’s journey into architectural form.
The project unfolds on land whose historical absence of built form carries as much weight as its past presence. Once occupied by religious, military, and mercantile activity, the site near Mount Emei is defined today by its natural features rather than physical remnants. Neri&Hu approached this condition not as a blank slate, but as a charged landscape where restraint could become a primary architectural tool, allowing memory, topography, and use to coexist without overt monumentality.
The distillery’s master plan is organized through a clear spatial hierarchy that separates production from visitation while maintaining a continuous narrative across the site. Three elongated industrial buildings are aligned in parallel along the northern edge, partially embedded into the gently sloping terrain. Their descending rooflines follow the land’s natural contours, minimizing visual impact while reinforcing a sense of grounded permanence. The buildings reinterpret vernacular Chinese construction through pitched roofs clad in reclaimed clay tiles, supported by a contemporary concrete post-and-beam structure. Stone infill walls are constructed from boulders excavated during site preparation, reinforcing a cyclical relationship between removal and reintegration of material.
In contrast, the visitor experience buildings are conceived as elemental geometries that draw directly from Chinese cosmology. A circular tasting pavilion represents heaven, while a square restaurant and bar embodies earth. The circular structure is partially submerged, containing subterranean tasting rooms arranged around a domed courtyard animated by cascading water. Rising subtly above ground, concentric brick rings crown the dome, echoing the silhouette of Mount Emei and establishing the building as a visual and experiential focal point.
The square visitor building is positioned lower on the site, projecting outward with cantilevered edges that hover above the riverbank. Dining spaces are placed along the perimeter to capture expansive views, while a central open-air courtyard frames the mountain peak as a borrowed landscape, reinforcing the project’s continuous dialogue with its surroundings.
Materially, the architecture reflects both the geology of the site and the craft of whisky production. Concrete, cement, and stone establish a restrained base palette, while accents reference copper distillation vessels and oak casks. This layered material approach reinforces the project’s core ambition: to balance industry and ritual, production and contemplation, mountain and water. The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery ultimately positions architecture as an intermediary between landscape, culture, and process, offering a spatial interpretation of duality rooted in both place and practice.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Emeishan, China
The location specified is intended for general reference and may denote a city or country, but it does not identify a precise address.
