The Dalmore releases three bottles of rare whisky designed by architect Kengo Kuma
The Dalmore has released an ultra-rare whisky, with only three bottles and two sculptures available in the world. One complete set of The Dalmore 48 Year Old Luminary No1 Rare edition is set to go up for auction at Sotheby’s in London on the 16th of November 2022.
The incredible design of the housing of The Rare edition has been completed by famed architect Kengo Kuma, in an exclusive partnership with V&A Dundee.
A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the V&A Dundee.
The single bottle of The Dalmore 48 Year Old Luminary No1 Rare, with the unique sculpture, is expected to be sold for between £95,000-£180,000.
Three bottles were filled by master distiller Richard Paterson OBE, this collaboration marking over six decades of experience between master distiller and master architect. It has taken 48 years to create this masterpiece, with the whisky influenced by Oloroso sherry and vintage port then finished in a combination of Scottish tay and Japanese oak wooden casks.
The harmony between the flavours of the whisky and nature was a large part of the process, which is explained by the craftsman in this video:
The Dalmore Luminary No.1 Collectable edition
The Dalmore has produced a more affordable Luminary edition, The Collectable. This edition has 15,000 bottles on sale at selected retailers at a price of £250 produced by master whisky maker Gregg Glass.
Maurizio Mucciola designed the casing, using inspiration from the design by Kengo Kuma to create a beautiful housing to sit with the rare whisky.
The Collectable edition was matured in American white oak barrels but finished in a combination of Japanese oak, American oak and Scottish oak from the banks of the River Tay. This combination reflects the Japanese art of kintsugi where broken ceramics are repaired with precious metals.
The Dalmore and V&A Dundee partnership
The Luminary is part of a four-year partnership between The Dalmore and V&A Dundee. In each of the next two years, the partnership will produce a new series release each year.
If The Rare and The Collectable editions are the first two products of the partnership, then it is exciting to think about what will happen over the next two years.
One of the world’s most exclusive whiskies
With only three bottles in existence The Dalmore 48 Year Old Luminary No1 Rare edition is one of the most exclusive Scotch whiskies in the world.
The one bottle on Rare on auction could go for £185,000, there are few single malt bottles of whisky to be sold at a similar price.
Other examples of whisky being sold for big money:
- In Hong Kong, in 2021 a 72-year-old bottle of Glen Grant sold beyond expectations at £39,500
- A private collector sold his collection of 9,070 whisky bottles for almost £3.3 million
- Earlier this year an Ardberg cask of whisky sold for £16 million at an auction
So, for The Rare edition to sell for £185,000 would make it one of the most expensive whiskies in the world. Also, this is further evidence of the safety of an investment in whisky for potential investors considering investing in this industry.
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Images courtesy of The Dalmore
