Can anyone with good taste resist a Dalmore? Certainly not! This explains why a 49-year-old whisky from The Dalmore, one of only three bottles created, sold for a cool $95,277 during a Sotheby’s auction. The Dalmore Luminary No.2 The Rare is not only an epitome of great taste but it is accompanied by breathtaking art. The whiskey comes in a transcendent glass sculpture created by Melodie Leung of the iconic British architecture and design firm Zaha Hadid Architects. The enormous sculpture weighs 80 kg and was polished by hand over 500 hours.
The Dalmore’s parent company, Whyte & Mackay, will donate the proceeds from the sale in their entirety to V&A Dundee. Jonny Fowle, global head of spirits at Sotheby’s, said: “This is a thoroughly deserved result for a true collector’s piece that combines to brilliant effect a highly aged liquid, a high concept design, and a worthy cause. The Dalmore is an icon of the whisky world, and this second iteration in their Luminary series encapsulates all the key elements collectors are looking for in today’s premium whisky market.”
The whisky has been matured in a selection of casks, including ex-Bourbon and rare sherry casks, and was finished in a virgin oak hybrid cask from 1951. As mentioned above, only three bottles and two sculptures have been created, with the second complete set archived at the distillery and one last decanter preserved for a final Luminary Series Compendium to come in the future.
