The Dalmore Luminary 2025 Edition by Ben Dobbin, Foster+Partners – The Rare – All photos are by The Dalmore.
Architecture. There’s a strong link between whisky and architecture, an unexpected one. Indeed, they both share materiality and conceiving outcomes which stand the test of time. It is from this common ground that The Dalmore, Highland Single Malt whisky, undertook a visionary journey to narrate its perfectly balanced nature. The Luminary Series project – co-curated with Scotland’s design museum, V&A Dundee – tasks acclaimed architects to translate the Scotch whisky’s DNA, ‘terroir’ and narrative into sculptural artworks. After collaborations with architects at Kengo Kuma and Zaha Hadid Architects studios, The Dalmore flew to Venice to reveal its ultimate and exclusive limited edition, designed by Foster+Partners’ Ben Dobbin, whose completed works include the Apple Park in Cupertino and the revitalisation of the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco.
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The Rare.
“As an architect, collaborating with The Dalmore has been absolutely fascinating. Technically, it has been a much more precise – yet creative process than I imagined.” Explains Ben Dobbin. “The Dalmore’s whisky makers think about flavour the way I think about art and design.”
The Rare.
Dobbin created an asymmetric bronze sculpture with a dynamic, bold, and perfectly balanced design. Dramatic waves and rods, smooth curves, and straight lines celebrate The Rare, an extremely rare Single Malt Whisky Aged 52 Years that appears “almost suspended in time.” The result is a fine example of tensegrity, a contemporary style of architecture in which objects appear to be built by nature in a state of perfect balance and tension.
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The Dalmore’s Master Distiller Richard Paterson and Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass welcomed Ben Dobbin at the distillery in Scotland. “Spending time there really shaped my design process. With the sculpture, I wanted to bring to life our shared sense of place, materiality, and how our worlds bridge.”
The Dalmore Gregg Glass, Ben Dobbin and John Galvin at the Dalmore distillery in Scotland.
Reflections on the power of landscapes and nature were key to the team’s exchange. Dobbin was especially fascinated by the changing topography, the finely engineered bridges and the lochs surrounding The Dalmore’s Highland distillery.
The Dalmore Gregg Glass and Ben Dobbin at the Dalmore distillery in Scotland.
Following the reveal in Venice, The Rare will be auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, May 7-16, with 100% of the proceeds donated to the V&A Dundee. With the Luminary Series, The Dalmore cross-pollinates the art of making whisky with architecture to translate it into a meaningful support for Scotland’s design community. Since forming a partnership in 2020 and the inception of The Luminary Series in 2021, The Dalmore has given over £200,000 to the museum.
Ben Dobbin and The Rare.
The Dalmore Luminary No.3 – 2025 Edition features The Collectible, a prestigious 17-year-old Single Malt Whisky presented in a custom case inspired by The Rare. A limited release of only 20,000 bottles will be available worldwide at select luxury and specialist retailers. For the first time, the distillery also supports the British Pavilion exhibition in Venice— the showcase, entitled Geology of Britannic Repair, is open until 23 November.
The Collectible.
All photos are courtesy of The Dalmore.
The Rare.
