The Dalmore Highland Single Malt has introduced The Luminary Series – a collection of rare, limited-edition single malts curated in partnership with V&A Dundee, Scotland’s design museum. It blends talent from the worlds of whisky and architectural design in a three-year series.
Starting in 2022, the series will see the release of three editions, each containing two Luminary whiskies: The Rare and The Collectible. Each release in the Luminary Series aims to “bring visionary design talent to the fore” through a bespoke showcase of a unique bottling by The Dalmore’s whisky makers.
One of the three bottles and an accompanying sculpture of the Luminary No.1 Rare will be available at auction in November this year, with a portion of the proceeds donated to V&A Dundee. Around 15,000 bottles of the Collectible Edition will be made available at an RSP of £250, for purchase from luxury retailers worldwide, including in travel retail.
The Luminary Series – Luminary No.1, 2022 Edition
The inaugural chapter of the Luminary Series – Luminary No.1, 2022 Edition – showcases the combined skills of two masters and their protégés: internationally acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma and Maurizio Mucciola, the lead architects of V&A Dundee, in collaboration with Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE, and Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass.
Luminary No.1 – Rare – 2022 Edition
Co-conceived by Kengo Kuma and Richard Paterson OBE, The Rare is described as a “once-in-a-lifetime creative collaboration that unites culture and craft”. A rare 48 Year Old single malt, it reflects the creative collaboration between Kuma and Paterson, which began in 2020 alongside the announcement of a four-year partnership with V&A Dundee.
The Rare, of which only three bottles will be created, is housed in a one-off sculpture designed by Kengo Kuma, comprising 48 particles and handcrafted in Japanese Oak, Scottish Oak and steel. It holds a rare whisky nurtured by Paterson for 48 years and is finished in casks of Scottish Tay Oak and of Japanese Oak air dried at the distillery for years.
The first of two sculptures created to display The Rare edition will be sold at Sotheby’s London with a portion of the proceeds donated to V&A Dundee, while the second will be held at the distillery’s Highland home. The original designer’s proof of the sculpture will be on public display at V&A Dundee from the end of October.
Kuma previously appeared alongside Paterson last year in Decades in the Making, a short film presenting the realisation of this world-first partnership.
Kuma said: “My relationship with The Dalmore, and with Scotland, is one born from a love of natural materials and the unfolding of stories over a lifetime. In my work with Richard Paterson and The Dalmore, I see a same respect for the environment, and the same careful attention to the way great design must continue to evolve over time. The glorifier design echoes this sensibility, inviting all who see it to consider the elements, seen and unseen, that have gone into its conception.”
Paterson added: “It is a pleasure and a privilege to collaborate with Kengo Kuma once again, and to draw inspiration from his rich experience in bringing this new release to life. The Rare is a wonderful celebration of cultural heritage. I am exceedingly proud of this exceptionally scarce single malt which tells a beautiful story of the coming together of disparate parts into a greater whole.”
The Luminary No.1 – Collectible – 2022 Edition
In a collaboration between their protégés, the Collectible carries design echoes of its Rare partner. Gregg Glass created a 15 Year Old single malt with the Collectible Edition held in a contemporary case designed by Maurizio Mucciola.
The Collectible begins its journey in American white oak and finished in Italian Amarone Red Wine casks and bespoke ‘Kintsugi’ Casks, which were crafted for this limited edition and made from Scottish Tay Oak, sourced from an upcycled tree found on the banks of the River Tay, Japanese Mizunara Oak and American White Oak – as a nod to the heritage of each luminary.
Leaning on design cues from his mentor, Mucciola uses the same animated geometric particles scattered across the case.
Mucciola said: “Working with and learning from Gregg Glass, sharing our passion for materials and respect for the natural world, shines a light on the importance of craft. This release is inspired by the work we have undertaken with our mentors, and the work we have yet to do – the embodiment of potential realised over a time.”
Glass added: “The Dalmore is constantly innovating, working to unlock the hidden potential in every component of its whisky-making process in order to achieve excellence. The opportunity to create something entirely new has resulted in a masterful liquid that balances tradition with innovation. It beautifully expresses the personal and professional journeys of Maurizio Mucciola and myself, and shows what is so special about true craftsmanship.”
The design concept
The design of The Dalmore Luminary Series No.1 brings together the skills of design and whisky-making, noted the brand owner.
The importance placed on the extensive use of natural materials, especially wood, is Kuma’s signature and is reflected in his design of V&A Dundee’s interior. This mirrors the fundamental elements of soil and timber used in the whisky-making process, said a statement from The Dalmore.
The 48-piece sculpture complements the whisky, with use made of metal alongside wood in a nod to ‘Kintsugi’ artistry, an ancient Japanese art where broken pottery is repaired with gold.
The sculpture of the Rare is made of 48 hand crafted diamonds of Scottish Oak, Japanese Oak and polished metal to represent the 48 years of the whisky of Luminary No.1 Rare. The sculpture’s use of wood and light frame the Rare decanter at its centre.
For the packaging of the Collectible, the design for the Glorifier was transformed into a graphic pattern and applied to the packaging. Soft earth tones were chosen to echo the connections between nature, the location and the whisky.
The Dalmore x V&A Dundee partnership
In a world-first, four-year partnership, The Dalmore and V&A Dundee aim to nurture exceptional creative talent. They have pledged to cultivate a global platform for contemporary artisans and designers and inspire the next generation of creative thinkers.
In 2021, The Dalmore donated £100,000 from the record sale of the one-of-one, exceedingly rare Decades No.6 Collection at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in honour of the partnership.
Whyte & Mackay Travel Retail Director Richard Trimby said: “The release of The Dalmore Luminary is another example of this ‘masterpiece in the making’ providing excitement and innovation for shoppers in the travel retail market.
“Demand for single malts and the prestige segment in particular has been incredibly high in this market throughout the pandemic and continues to drive the recovery with demand exceeding supply in many locations.
“Shoppers are not only looking for new and distinctive items, but also for brands they know they can trust. This new release provides all this, along with an exquisite liquid and presentation in-keeping with the luxury standards of The Dalmore brand.”
Earlier today, The Moodie Davitt Report took part in a media briefing about The Luminary launch, hosted by The Dalmore Global head of Whisky Discovery Kieran Healey-Ryder.
He noted the strong performance of The Dalmore in the UK, which mirrors the continued development of Scotch as a category – with around 30 distillery development projects announced, including a new one planned for The Dalmore by 2024.
In addition, rare and prestige single malts are outperforming other investment stocks, underlining their value to long-term investors. As an illustration, spirits – led by single malts – now account for 16% of Sotheby’s auction sales, compared to zero six years ago, with over half of category bids coming from Asia.
The Dalmore itself doubled both in volume and value sales from 2016 to 2021, and was the fast growing single malt in the top 25 from 2018 to 2020 (IWSR), as well as being the number seven single malt worldwide by value in 2021 (IWSR).
Among iconic and rare whiskies (Rare Whisky 101) The Dalmore was the fastest growing single malt in the top 30, and the only one from a distillery currently producing whisky.
Healey-Ryder said: “Exports of Scotch are softer than pre-COVID but single malt has rebounded fast, with Asia Pacific a major driver.
“We see huge growth in the rare and prestige end, with collectability and investment important in this segment.
“Single malt has peaked ahead of gold and brent crude in terms of its performance recently, so that feeds category growth. Our partnership with Sotheby’s underlines the collectability of prestige malts, with demand very high in Asia. And our history of design-led rare releases, which dates back to the 1970s, also underlines our heritage in this area.”
