The Dalmore Announces Its Second Luminary Series Release

The Dalmore may be best-known for the taste of its award-winning whiskies, but its contributions to the art world may be as taste-making as its 12- and 15-year-old single malts. Since partnering with the Victoria & Albert Museum in Dundee, Scotland, in 2020, The Dalmore, with its Luminary Series, has combined the best of both, pairing exceptionally rare whiskies with one-of-a-kind bottles that are as much sculpture as they are decanter. For the first Luminary Series release, The Dalmore partnered with the architect of the V&A Dundee, Kengo Kuma, on a on a one-of-a-kind sculpture .”

For the latest Luminary Series Release, The Dalmore and V&A Dundee have tapped pioneering architect and designer Melodie Leung. As the director of Zaha Hadid Architects, Leung collaborates with a team of over 500 equally pioneering creatives to design some of the world’s most singular buildings and has brought that distinctive approach to The Dalmore Luminary Series No. 2, whose undulating, scarf-like sculpture formally reflects the whisky-making process.

Just three decanters and two sculptures have been crafted for The Dalmore Rare Luminary 2024 Edition, and the liquid in each is equally rare. The 49-year-old single malt was aged for its almost half-century of life in American white oak ex-bourbon casks before finishing in 1963 Colhieta port, Apostoles sherry, bourbon, and a unique cask that combines virgin and 1951 oak. One Dalmore Rare Luminary 2024 Edition is expected to draw significant interest when put up for auction at Sotheby’s in May 2024, with the proceeds being donated to V&A Dundee.

Each release also features a collectible version that is available in larger numbers to those unable to get their hands on the big prize at Sotheby’s. The Collectible Luminary No. 02 2024 Edition is a 16-year-old whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in Graham’s tawny port pipes, Apostoles sherry casks, and (in very small amounts) peated ex-refill bourbon casks. The limited run of 20,000 bottles are housed in presentation cases that mirror the idiosyncratic design of The Rare sculpture.

Coinciding with the release of the new Luminary Series whiskies, V&A Dundee is debuting its latest exhibition, Photo City: How Images Shape the Urban World, co-curated with V&A South Kensington and supported by The Dalmore. Photo City draws inspiration from the two modern phenomena after which it is named, photography and cities, and explores how the former informs our construction, occupation, and exploration of the latter. Open for at least nine months following its March 29, 2024, opening, Photo City celebrates Dundee’s Decade of Design, its 10 years as the United Kingdom’s only UNESCO City of Design.