An Exclusive 49-Year-Old Whiskey Goes Up for Auction, Accompanied by Zaha Hadid Architects Art

Publish date: 2024-08-23

Part of The Dalmore's Luminary Series, 'The Rare' is expected to fetch six-figures at auction, with proceeds benefitting V&A Dundee.

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Acclaimed whiskey brand, The Dalmore, is headed to Sotheby’s with a one-of-a-kind release that marries the worlds of spirits, art and design.

“The Rare” is a 49-year-old Highland Single Malt Whiskey encased in a striking amber glass sculpture designed by Melodie Leung, a director at Zaha Hadid Architects. First unveiled in March as part of The Dalmore’s Luminary Series, the “Luminary No.2 The Rare” is expected to fetch six-figures at auction, with The Dalmore donating all proceeds to V&A Dundee.

A true collector’s piece for both whiskey aficionados and art connoisseurs alike, the collaboration offers one of The Dalmore’s finest spirits — a 49-year-old single malt that has been matured in American white oak ex-Bourbon casks and finished in an assemblage, that includes a rare Port Colheita Pipe 1963, a 30-year-old Apostoles Sherry Cask and hand-selected bourbon barrels. The liquid is then further finished in a 1951 virgin oak cask and “bespoke toasted” by The Dalmore’s master maker Gregg Glass himself.

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Bottled at 40.6% ABV, expect notes of vanilla, dark berries and roasted chestnuts with notes of sugared almonds, plums and wood cacao.

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The accompanying sculpture, meantime, is made from one continuous piece of glass, which swirls and loops around the bottle with no discernable beginning or end. As Leung explained during a kickoff event to celebrate the partnership in Los Angeles last month, the sculpture was inspired by the interaction of flavor and form, and the sense of community and gathering that results from the ritual of sharing a drink.

“The sculpture we created for The Rare was inspired by our fascinating discussions around the interaction and flow of flavor notes in the whisky-making process, including the unique silhouettes of the copper stills,” Leung says, in a release. “It mirrors the multiple layers of aging and blending that went into creating this whisky, which is the exquisite product of nature channelled over time.”

Indeed, Leung’s piece took more than three months to produce, with handmade moulds created for the glass to shape its unique curves and sloping silhouette. The glass was heated in a specially-sourced kiln and then cooled — one degree at a time — over a 12-week period. The resulting piece weighs a whopping 80 kg.

The Sotheby’s auction runs from May 14-31 in London, presented as part of the auction house’s “Luxury Edit.” Only three decanter bottles and two sculptures were created. After the first set is auctioned off, a second set will be displayed at The Dalmore distillery in the Highlands, with a third bottle held for release at a later date.

BUY: LUMINARY NO.2 16-YEAR SINGLE MALT $499.99

While “The Rare” is a strictly one-off release (for now), fans of The Dalmore can spring for a bottle of “The Collectible,” a 16-year-old single malt that draws inspiration from both “The Rare” whiskey and sculpture. Limited to just 20,000 bottles worldwide, “The Collectible” is part of The Dalmore Luminary Series 2024 and available to purchase online now.

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