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The Dalmore Luminary No.3 17 Year Old Review

The Dalmore Luminary No. 3 2025 Edition is a 17 year old single malt that combines whisky craftsmanship with architectural design. Limited to 20,000 bottles, this release features an intricate cask journey and a unique flavor profile, though it may not fully showcase its potential according to some tasters.

OVERALL RATING

7
$310
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

The Dalmore Luminary No. 3 2025 Edition is the third release in the acclaimed Luminary Series, created in collaboration with architect Ben Dobbin of Foster + Partners and crafted by Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass and Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE. Limited to 20,000 bottles, this 17-year-old single malt embodies the fusion of whisky artistry and architectural design, with packaging inspired by Dobbin’s creative interpretation of taste, aroma, and structure. Rooted in The Dalmore’s ethos of collaboration with the arts, it continues the series’ tradition of pairing rare whisky with cultural innovation, a partnership that also supports Scotland’s V&A Dundee design museum.

At its heart lies an intricate cask journey, initially matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels before being finished across seven exceptional casks including rare Matusalem and Apostoles sherries, vintage and aged Calvados, Bordeaux and Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wine barriques, and additional American oak.
Appearance:
Dark Gold
Nose:
Fresh oak, blackberries, and gentle vanilla. There’s a nice bready quality to this that could be seen as brioche. There’s a doughy, slightly salty, buttery edge to the whole whisky, which isn’t something I normally associate with Dalmore.

Some classic caramel notes with a little touch of brown butter and some lemon zest. A little more closed off than I thought it would be.
Palate:
Lots of barrel spice and fizzy bitterness that comes across as white vermouth. Slightly herbaceous and bright with notes of lemon balm, sage, rosemary and setivia. Odd how none of those big sherry and red wine casks seem to be kicking in on the palate. The blackberry note from the aromas has vanished, too.

Some of this bitterness could be from those wine casks, but it doesn’t come across as tannic in anyway, just a little spicy. There are some very subtle notes of cherry and cola cubes but overall it’s a very green, grassy, lemony style of Dalmore.
Finish:
More yeasty notes and some more dessert notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The finish is warm and gentle but still dominated by these grassy and herbaceous qualities that seem to be a little misplaced given the range and style of the casks that have gone into this. I do wonder if the American oak finish overall has drowned out the richer notes from wine and sherry.
Comments:
Not as impressed as I was with the other two releases in this range. It comes across as very closed and unresponsive given the range of casks, age statement and ABV. Prior releases, especially the second were so good! Very exploratory and unravelling of what Dalmore can actually do when they want to.

Even with this whisky being in the glass for over thirty minutes, it didn’t really want to show any of it’s nuances or charm.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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