The Dalmore Luminary No.2, which was co-created with Zaha Hadid Architects, expects to fetch six-figures at Sotheby’s auction later this month.
Back in March, The Dalmore unveiled Luminary No.2, the second bottling in its Luminary Series, a three-part partnership between the Highland whisky maker and V&A Dundee. Each edition in the series consists of two entirely different whiskies, while the collection in total celebrates the worlds of whisky mastery and architectural design.
Created in collaboration with Melodie Leung, director at Zaha Hadid Architects, The Dalmore Luminary No.2 ‘The Rare’ will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s London later this month. Only three bottles of the 49-year-old whisky were created and come housed in a striking glass sculpture, designed by Leung. The sculpture is made of one continuous piece of glass, inspired by and depicting the layers of age and the interactions of flavor found in the whisky making process and the Scotch itself.
The creation of this sculpture took hundreds of hours of work. Only a handful of artisan markers across the globe had the necessary experience to manipulate the glass to deliver the desired form.
Fiaz Elson from The Glass Foundry combined modern techniques with centuries-old craft to create the sculpture, placing it in a kiln in a handmade mold, taking the glass to temperature before lowering one degree at a time across a 12 week period. Weighing 80kg, the sculpture’s liquid-like texture and gloss finish comes from over 500 hours of hand polishing.
The Whisky
‘The Rare’ whisky itself was created in further collaboration between Leung and The Dalmore’s master makers Gregg Glass and Richard Paterson OBE. Together they explored flavor and form, taking inspiration from childhood memories, travel, food, and music.
“This was a true meeting of minds, and the new releases beautifully express the shared journey we’ve all been on in mastering our crafts,” says Glass. “We were struck by the symbiosis between our two disciplines, which are simultaneously art and science, sensing and seeing, nature and nurture. They are about perfect structure and proportion leading to harmony, and harmony enhancing the human experience over time. We are delighted to finally be sharing this exceptionally rare whisky and Melodie’s incredible creation, with the world.”
Leung adds: “Experiencing The Dalmore’s outstanding pursuit of excellence first-hand and being initiated into the complex world of whisky making by Gregg and Richard provided extremely fertile ground for design inspiration. The sculpture we created for The Rare was inspired by our fascinating discussions around the interaction and flow of flavour notes in the whisky-making process, including the unique silhouettes of the copper stills. It mirrors the multiple layers of ageing and blending that went into creating this whisky, which is the exquisite product of nature channelled over time.”
This 49 Year Old Single Malt matured in American white oak ex-Bourbon casks and finished in an assemblage, encompassing a rare Port Colheita Pipe 1963, an exceptionally rare 30 Year Old Apostoles Sherry Cask and select Bourbon Barrels. The whisky has been further finished in a 1951 / Virgin Oak hybrid cask, air dried at The Dalmore and bespoke toasted by Gregg Glass himself.
The Dalmore Luminary No.2 Auction
Only three bottles and two sculptures have and will ever be created. One set will be offered at auction In London via Sotheby’s online, as part of a Finest and Rarest Whisky sale, open May 14th-31s. This auction will be presented as part of ‘The Luxury Edit’, a series of sales at Sotheby’s in London, showcasing watches, jewelry, spirits, wine, and pop culture.
The Dalmore Luminary No.2 ‘The Rare’, is expected to reach six-figures at auction, with The Dalmore donating all proceeds to V&A Dundee. Both the sculpture and decanter will be on display in Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries from May 24th-29th, alongside an array of items, also featured in the luxury auctions.
Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Spirits, Sotheby’s, says: “It’s an honour to partner once again with The Dalmore to offer one of their rarest releases for such a good cause. This whisky exemplifies The Dalmore’s signature style of highly aged liquid with complex maturation and brings in the additional elements of collaboration and high concept design. The result is a true collector’s piece and a unique auction opportunity for only the most dedicated Scotch whisky collectors.”
The second set will be displayed at The Dalmore distillery in the Highlands, with the third bottle released as part of a compendium of the series, in years to come. A designer proof of the sculpture will be on permanent display at V&A Dundee, joining the designers’ proof from Luminary No.1, released in 2022.
The Collectible
Alongside ‘The Rare’, the second whisky available as part of The Dalmore Luminary Series 2024, is ‘The Collectible’. Strictly limited to 20,000 bottles worldwide, ‘The Collectible’ is a 16-Year-Old Single Malt and draws inspiration from both ‘The Rare’ whisky and sculpture. The whisky is available via Global Travel retail and the finest luxury retailers worldwide at an SRP of £275.
For more information on The Dalmore Luminary Series, head over to the distillery’s official website.
In October, The Dalmore debuted its Cask Curation Series with The Sherry Edition.