The Dalmore: Luminary Series No.1 2022 Edition

19 Jan 2023

Introducing The Dalmore: Luminary Series No.1 2022 Edition

Released in late 2022, the story behind The Dalmore Luminary Series definitely piques our interest. A unique three-part series of rare and limited edition single malts created by exceptional luminaries from the worlds of whisky and architectural design, curated in partnership with V&A Dundee, Scotland’s design museum.

The series was co-conceived by globally-acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma, designer of V&A Dundee and his protégé Maurizio Mucciola, in hand with Master Distiller, Richard Paterson OBE and Master Whisky Maker, Gregg Glass. With a collective ambition to push boundaries to realise their potential, two very special single malts were created, The Rare & The Collectible.

The 'Rare'

Crafted by Kengo Kuma and Richard Paterson OBE, The ‘Rare’ is a once-in-a-lifetime creative collaboration that unites culture and craft. The liquid is an exceptionally rare 48-year-old single malt bottled at 40.8% ABV, of which only three bottles were available worldwide, began its journey in American White Oak ex-bourbon cask, influenced by aged Matusalem and Apostle Oloroso sherry casks and vintage Port pipes, and finished in both Scottish Tay and Japanese oak.

The ‘Rare’ is housed in a unique sculpture designed by Kengo Kuma, comprising 48 diamond-shaped particles (one for each year of the whisky’s life) and handcrafted in Japanese oak, Scottish oak and steel, the extremely scarce and valuable whisky has been personally nurtured by Master Distiller, Richard Paterson OBE.

The 'Collectible'

 

Created by protégés Mucciola and Glass, ‘The Collectible’ is a 15-year-old limited-edition whisky with quite the maturation journey and is limited to 15,000 bottles. This expression began its journey in American white oak and is finished in hand-selected Italian Amarone red wine casks and bespoke ‘Kintsugi’ casks before being bottled at 46.8% ABV without chill filtration or added colouring. The ‘Kintsugi’ casks were specifically crafted for this Limited Edition and made from Scottish Tay Oak, Japanese Mizunara Oak and American White Oak – as a nod to the heritage of each Luminary.

‘The Collectible’ echoes its ‘Rare’ partner in terms of design, spotlighting Glass’s passion for wood and flavour, and held in a presentation box designed by Kuma-san’s protégé Maurizio Mucciola.

 

Note: The single bottle of The Dalmore 48 Year Old Luminary No1 ‘Rare’, with the unique sculpture, was sold for £118,750. An auction record for The Dalmore was achieved at Sotheby's in Hong Kong in October 2021 for a one-of-a-kind set of six vintage single malts direct from the distillery, sold for US$1.1 million.

 

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