S otheby’s first London whisky sale of 2024 is led by the latest partnership with The Dalmore Distillery: The Dalmore Luminary No.2 | The Rare, the second in a unique three part series which celebrates the worlds of whisky mastery and architectural design. The sale also sees the second part of The Kodawari Collection come up for sale, almost six months after Part I became the most valuable Japanese Whisky Collection ever sold at auction, totalling more than £1.8m.
The sale is supported by other high age whiskies from The Dalmore ranging from 35 to 50 years, The Yamazaki 50 Year Old 3rd release and The Macallan The Red Collection 60 Year Old, the most sought after in the series, appearing at a Sotheby’s auction for the very first time.
The Dalmore Luminary Series is a unique partnership between The Dalmore and V&A Dundee, which celebrates the worlds of whisky mastery and architectural design over three high concept whisky releases. Melodie Leung, director at Zaha Hadid Architects is the esteemed talent and creative collaborator behind Luminary No.2, the second iteration of this partnership.
‘The Rare’ comprises a 49 Year Old Highland Single Malt, one of only three bottles to be made, uniquely housed in a striking glass sculpture, designed by Leung. The exquisite sculpture is made of one continuous piece of glass, which swirls and loops, inspired by and depicting the layers of age and the interactions of flavour found in the whisky making process and the whisky itself. The creation of this precious sculpture has taken hundreds of hours of work. When commissioning the glass work, only a handful of artisan markers across the world had the necessary experience and vision to manipulate the glass to deliver the desired form.
“This was a true meeting of minds, and the new releases beautifully express the shared journey we’ve all been on in mastering our crafts. We are delighted to finally be sharing this exceptionally rare whisky and Melodie’s incredible creation with the world.”
Fiaz Elson from The Glass Foundry combined modern techniques with centuries-old craft to create the sculpture, placing it in kiln in a handmade mould, taking the glass to temperature before lowering one degree at a time across a tense 12 week period. Weighing a substantial 80kg, the sculpture’s liquid-like texture and gloss finish comes from over 500 hours of hand polishing.
‘The Rare’ whisky itself, is exceptional and was created in further true collaboration between Leung and The Dalmore’s master makers Gregg Glass and Richard Paterson OBE, as together they explored flavour and form, with inspiration ranging from childhood memories, to travel, food and music. This 49 Year Old Single Malt has been matured in American white oak ex-Bourbon casks and finished in an assemblage, encompassing a rare Port Colheita Pipe 1963, an exceptionally rare 30 Year Old Apostoles Sherry Cask and select Bourbon Barrels.
“The sculpture we created for The Rare was inspired by our fascinating discussions around the interaction and flow of flavour notes in the whisky-making process, including the unique silhouettes of the copper stills. It mirrors the multiple layers of ageing and blending that went into creating this whisky, which is the exquisite product of nature channelled over time.”
The whisky has been further finished in a unique 1951 / Virgin Oak hybrid cask, air dried at The Dalmore and bespoke toasted by Gregg Glass himself. Only three bottles and two sculptures have and will ever be created. Alongside the bottle and sculpture sold at auction, the second set will be displayed at The Dalmore distillery in the Highlands, with the third bottle released as part of a compendium of the series, in years to come. A designer proof of the sculpture will be on permanent display at V&A Dundee, joining the designers’ proof from Luminary No.1, released in 2022.
Proceeds from the sale will be donated to V&A Dundee.
This auction includes the second part of The Kodawari Collection, the most valuable Japanese Whisky Collection ever sold at auction. Included are a number of rare offerings from Karuizawa, Hanyu and Yamazaki.
Highlights include three bottles of one of the most legendary Karuizawa ever bottled and certainly one of the collector’s favourites, the Karuizawa Vintage Cask #6426 from 1967. Bottled in 2009 at 42 years old, the oldest Karuizawa ever at that time, the cask was split between La Maison Du Whisky (229 bottles) and The Whisky Exchange (195 bottles), for their 10th Anniversary. The bottles originally retailed at around €260, which was very expensive for a bottle of Japanese whisky at the time.
Scoring 95 Points from both Whisky Fun and WhiskyNotes.be, they both sit firmly as two of the top three most highly rated Karuizawa bottlings on Whiskybase and command an almost mythical status amongst whisky enthusiasts and lovers of heavily-sherried malts.
"At the top of my list is the 1967 Vintage Cask #6426, which is shared between La Maison Du Whisky and The Whisky Exchange. I think this is my favourite whisky of all time"
Alongside the Dalmore Luminary and KODAWARI Collection are a number of other rare and collectible bottles from across Scotland and Japan.
The Yamazaki 50 Year Old was the oldest Japanese whisky ever bottled upon its release. This edition, the third, is one of only 150 bottles released in 2011 making it one of the rarest Japanese whiskies ever bottled.
Having spent over half a century in the finest Japanese Mizunara oak casks, the spirit is deep and rich, with a luxurious spice imparted from the wood. Bottled at an impressive 57% abv, the character and body of the whisky is retained due to the high alcohol. The bottle itself is etched with exquisite detail on the front, and comes housed in a handmade dark wooden box, separating it from the first two releases. The capsule is covered in Japanese washi paper and tied with red and gold cord.
Scarcely seen on the secondary market, this will be the first time the bottle has been sold at auction for over two years.
Appearing at Sotheby’s for the first time is The Macallan The Red Collection 60 Year Old, the most sought after in the series. A highly limited release, the 60 Year Old has proved highly elusive since its release. This whisky, from the first release in 2020, forms part of the six-bottle Red Collection which debuted at Sotheby’s when a full set featuring exclusive labels illustrated by Javi Aznarez sold for over £750,000.
Alongside The Dalmore Luminary No.2 The Rare are a number of other high age statement whiskies from The Dalmore portfolio through the years.
One of two 50 year old whiskies from The Dalmore in this sale, The Dalmore 50 Year Old 1966 is one of only 50 bottles to celebrate master distiller Richard Paterson’s 50 years in the industry. Filled into a Baccarat crystal decanter adorned with a solid silver stag designed by silversmith Hamilton & Inches the bottle is presented alongside four Baccarat glasses, four placemats, crystal stopper, distillery booklet and separate Linley display case.
The Dalmore 50 Year Old Crystal Decanter is a stunning bottle, one of just 60, presented in its original wooden presentation case with crystal stopper and guarantee of excellence signed by Richard Paterson. The whisky itself was scored 96 Points by Serge Valentin of Whiskyfun
“First I get leather and cigar box mixed with menthol, eucalyptus and old Tarragones chartreuse. Then I get fresh seashells like ormers or clams, all kinds of dried fruits… beeswax, old furniture, old wine, espresso coffee, chocolate, butter caramel, old orange liqueur… Stunning development!”
