[1][2] He, with his younger brother James, who was a fiddler and himself a composer,[3] represented the third generation of an important musical family in the area.
He composed several dance tunes, including the strathspey "The Auld Boat of Logierait",[6] and a reel, "Miss Murray Threipland of Fingask".
He was a keen amateur naturalist, with a particular interest in fungi, and was an active associate member of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science; he could not afford the greater cost of ordinary membership.
This Society published The Flora of Perthshire, by Francis Buchanan White, in 1898, using records provided by members, including Macintosh.
He shared this interest with Beatrix Potter, who had often visited the area since she was a child,[8] and they exchanged specimens and drawings.