The Luminary Series 2022 Edition, RARE collection - Photo by The Dalmore Highland Singe Malt Whisky.

The Luminary Series 2022 Edition, RARE collection – Photos by The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Whisky.

Design – The Dalmore Highland Single Malt introduces The Luminary Series, a three-year design project uniting culture, craft, and the art of making whisky. Exceptional talent from the worlds of whisky and architectural design join forces to celebrate exclusive limited-edition single malts. The series is curated in partnership with V&A Dundee design museum and debuts with collections by the museum’s globally acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma.

The Luminary Series 2022 Edition, COLLECTIBLE collection - Photo by The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Whisky.

The Luminary Series, COLLECTIBLE collection.

The Japanese architect alongside with his protégé Maurizio Mucciola, the lead architect of V&A Dundee, teamed up with Dalmore’s Master Distiller Richard Paterson, and Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass. The Luminary Series inaugural edition “pays homage to the cultural heritage of these luminaries: shared sanctity for natural materials, deep respect for the creative process, and a commitment to pursuing potential and excellence over a lifetime.” Explain at The Dalmore.

The 2022 edition comprises the Rare and Collectible collections.

The Luminary Series 2022 Edition, RARE collection - Photo by The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Whisky.

Detail of the RARE collection.

Inspired by the invisible particles of nature as well as the age of the liquid, the Rare is made of 48 handcrafted diamonds of Scottish Oak, Japanese oak, and polished metal to represent the 48 years of the whisky aged in Scottish and Japanese oak casks. The use of metal and wood nods to Kintsugi artistry, an ancient Japanese art where broken pottery is repaired with gold, to incredible results.

“My relationship with The Dalmore, and with Scotland, is one born from a love of natural materials and the unfolding of stories over a lifetime.” Says Kengo Kuma. “In my work with Richard Paterson and The Dalmore, I see a same respect for the environment and the same careful attention to the way great design must continue to evolve over time. The Rare design echoes this sensibility, inviting all who see it to consider the elements, seen and unseen, that have gone into its conception.”

The Luminary Series 2022 Edition, RARE collection - Photo by The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Whisky.

Detail of the RARE collection.

For the Collectible packaging designed by Mucciola, the Rare collection’s design was reimagined and transformed into a graphic pattern and applied to the packaging. Soft earth tones were chosen to echo the strong connections between nature, the location, and the whisky.

One of the three exquisite bottles and accompanying sculpture of the Luminary No.1 Rare will be available to acquire through a Sotheby’s online auction from 1-16 November this year, with a portion of the proceeds donated to V&A Dundee. Approximately 15,000 bottles of the Collectible Edition will be available for purchase for £250 from the finest luxury retailers worldwide.

The Luminary Series 2022 Edition, COLLECTIBLE collection - Photo by The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Whisky.

COLLECTIBLE collection.

Photography by The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Whisky.

  • RELATED STORIES: Kuma previously appeared alongside Paterson last year in Decades in the Making, a short film presenting the realisation of the partnership between The Dalmore and the V&A Dundee. Read more.
The Luminary Series 2022 Edition, RARE collection - Photo by The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Whisky.

Detail of the RARE collection.