When Impossible Turns Rare: The Dalmore Luminary Series
Rare whisky production and modern architecture may seem like disparate worlds to many, yet the Luminary Series from The Dalmore finds a way to bring them both into otherwise unseen cohesion. Earlier this year at Scotland’s famed V&A Dundee design museum, the second instalment of the Luminary Series was presented to a select group of guests, revealing Zaha Hadid Architects director Melodie Leung as the creator of the supporting sculpture to accompany the new 49-year-old single malt.
Unlike many collaborations in the spirits category, the level of cooperation involved between Leung and The Dalmore Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass in every aspect of this project is impressive. In terms of the blending of the rare spirit itself, the direction of the flavour profile started taking shape upon Leung’s first visit to the distillery, two years prior to the unveiling of the finished works. When sampling spirits, the aromas of roasted chestnuts were the first to catch her attention, giving Glass his initial anchor to build from.
In trade, hearing Glass’s observations about the life of a whisky sparked Leung’s initial vision for the sculpture’s form. “As Gregg explained the movement of vapours within the whisky still, the idea of that unseen movement resonated with me and really mirrors our firm’s creative process, and how ideas flow freely.”
The choice to craft the final form in glass came nearly as naturally as this initial inspiration. There’s a palpable tension that resonates through the viewer upon seeing a glass sculpture of this scale — one that speaks as much to the skill of the maker as the strength and resolve of its designer. There’s also a rich gradient and depth of colour that would not have delivered the same impact in another material.
From its initial spark, the road to refinement was a lengthy one. Roughly 300 prototype blends came and went, with Glass “fine tuning by teaspoon” in the final few iterations of the rare liquid. The sculpture in turn saw nearly the same count of renders before its final form took shape, however that’s not where the story ends. The team at Zaha Hadid Architects has long been known for pushing the boundaries of manufacturing and engineering, and this sculpture was to be no different. Eight glass studios turned the project away due to its complexity, but the design was not to be retooled for simplicity’s sake; every curve has meaning, and its narrative of pushing glass beyond what it’s meant to be doing had to be maintained.
Fiaz Elson from The Glass Foundry in the Cotswolds embraced the challenge to execute the 80-kilogram masterpiece, and after a total of 12 weeks in the kiln, followed by 500 hours of hand polishing, the work had reached its end. At least, the first. Four sculptures have been made to accompany four bottles of The Rare 2024 Edition. One will live at the V&A Dundee, one at The Dalmore distillery, one is to be auctioned off by Sotheby’s (with all proceeds donated to the V&A Dundee), and the final example is to be held for sale once the Luminary Series trilogy is complete.
As was the case with the launch of the Luminary Series No. 1 in 2022, executed by Kengo Kuma, Series No. 2 brings with it The Dalmore Luminary No.2 — The Collectible, which reaches the Canadian market in June, in packaging designed by Leung and the ZHA team. Produced in a run of only 20,000 bottles globally, the 16-year-old whisky was matured in bourbon casks and finished in a blend of Graham’s Tawny Port pipes and Apostoles sherry casks, with a small portion in peated, hand-selected, ex-refill bourbon casks. It is also a rather rare creation from the house in its overall style, as it uses a small amount of exceptionally rare peated Dalmore spirit.
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