The Dalmore have announced the second edition to their extraordinary Luminary series. The Luminary No.2 is a collaboration between the masters at Dalmore and the award winning team at Zaha Hadid Architects that celebrates excellence in both whisky and architecture. As with the first release there will be just three bottles of an older age statement, with only one made available for sale, which will be accompanied by an inspired limited edition for collectors and drinkers.
The Dalmore Luminaries
The Luminary series from Dalmore is a three-part collaboration between the distillery and the V&A museum in Dundee, Scotland. The well-received 2023 release saw Dalmore team up with Kengo Kuma, architect behind the striking V&A Dundee, who created a hand-crafted sculpture of 48 diamond-shaped facets of Scottish and Japanese Oak paired with polished metal. The 48 year old Luminary 2023 sold for over $150,000 (£118,750) to raise money for the V&A Dundee. For the 2024 release they have collaborated with award winning and internationally renowned Zaha Hadid Architects, led by director Melodie Leung.
Each Luminary comprises an older, one of three whisky, a hand crafted artwork and a more accessible limited edition whisky inspired by the other two. As in 2023, one bottle of the older 49 year old whisky and one artwork is auctioned to raise money for the V&A Dundee. A further set of the 49 year old and artwork will be on display in the museum, with the final decanter saved for a special compendium edition of all three Luminary releases.
Luminary No.2 The Rare
Leung has worked closely with Dalmore’s Richard Paterson OBE and Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass, drawing inspiration from the pair to design and create a unique structure that encapsulates the essence of the whisky making process. “It mirrors the multiple layers of aging and blending that went into creating this whisky, which is the exquisite product of nature channeled over time,” Leung explains in the official press release.
Glass also echoes the importance of time in the creation of both whiskies. “While crafting our two new whiskies, we used the technique of time–nurtured carefully to transform through blending–to elevate The Dalmore to a new level. Flavour, color and form meet together in a holistic sensory experience with swirls of texture, depth, complexity and nuance.”
The amber glass structure designed by Leung certainly took the aging side of creating fine whisky to heart. Each of the two liquid-like structures required 12 weeks in the kiln followed by a 500 hour process of hand polishing. Like modern whisky, the sculpture required the meeting of modern and traditional techniques, which Fiaz Elson from The Glass Foundry was able to deliver.
The structures will display a specially created decanter of 49 year old whisky that has been matured in American White Oak ex-Bourbon casks then finally finished in a blend of Port Colhieta 1963, Apostoles sherry, select Bourbon and unique hybrid casks. The bespoke hybrid casks are a combination of a 1951 cask coopered with virgin oak air-dried at The Dalmore distillery before being hand-toasted by Glass himself.
If your appreciation of art and architecture doesn’t quite stretch to the six figure sum The Rare is expected to fetch at Sotheby’s. Then you will be pleased to know that, as in 2023, there will be a more accessible limited edition available.
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The Collectible Luminary
Dalmore Luminary No.2 The Collectible is a 16 year old limited edition that features extremely scarce peated Dalmore. On sale from April 2 2024, The Collectible has been specially crafted for the second edition of the Luminary. It was matured in Bourbon casks and finished in a combination of Graham’s Tawny Port pipes and Apostoles sherry casks, with a small portion in peated refill Bourbon casks.
Inspired by the 49 year old and with a presentation case that echoes the liquid-like design created by Leung, The Collectible already looks stunning. Mark was a big fan of the 2023 edition and everything it represented about art and whisky and so far this looks to be another really interesting partnership; one that manages to balance collaboration and art without being overtly capitalist (unlike some recent releases—IYKYK).
Other lovers of art, whisky and architecture planning to visit Scotland this year will be pleased to know that The Dalmore, Zaha Hadid Architects and V&A have also combined forces for a new exhibition opening at V&A Dundee on Friday 29th March, Photo City: How Images Shape the Urban World. This free exhibition will explore the power of photography to document, protect and design cities and the way we live together.
The Dalmore Luminary, The Collectible 2024 Edition Tasting Notes
Aroma: Manuka honey, crème brûlée, antique leather, delicate tropical notes of pomegranate, guava, and cherry blossom
Palate: Ripe figs, Seville oranges, forest fruits, passion fruit, lightly roasted Colombian coffee, fermented black limes, and brioche
Finishing notes: Freshly roasted chestnuts, sweet wood spices, dark cacao, and Alphonso mangoes with a delicate whisper of herbal wood smoke
Bottled at 48.6% ABV, natural color, and non-chill filtered, RRP $349 (£275).
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