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his auction, we are incredibly honoured to be collaborating with one of the most prestigious single malt distilleries in the world – Dalmore, to bring you an incredible lot that is offered exclusively to Sotheby’s.
This collaboration with Ben Dobbin of renowned architecture practice Foster + Partners is the next edition of The Dalmore Luminary Series, which shines a light on the worlds of whisky making artistry and architectural design.
Curated in partnership with V&A Dundee, Scotland’s design museum, The Dalmore Luminary Series No.3 2025 Edition 52 Year Old - The Rare is a co-creation between Ben Dobbin, a key design team leader of the iconic Apple Park and The Dalmore’s renowned Whisky Makers, Gregg Glass and Richard Paterson OBE.
The Dalmore Luminary No.3 2025 Edition 52 Year Old - The Rare is an extremely rare Single Malt Whisky Aged 52 Years, the oldest whisky to be released in The Luminary Series. This exceptionally rare whisky will be held in a specially designed decanter, housed within a bespoke sculpture designed by Dobbin. A total of 2 full sets were created, one of which will be kept at the Dalmore Distillery, and the only set for sale is offered at auction by Sotheby’s, with proceeds again donated to The Dalmore’s partner V&A Dundee.
This edition of The Dalmore Luminary Series is rooted in creative flow and precision, qualities shared by Ben Dobbin and The Dalmore’s Master Whisky Makers, Gregg Glass and Richard Paterson OBE, in both ethos and process, as luminaries in their respective fields. This is evident in both the whiskies and accompanying designs created for this very special release.
Reflections on the power of landscapes and nature to inspire creativity were a key part of the exchange between the team, with Dobbin captivated by the ebb and flow of the topography and finely engineered magnificence of the bridges and lochs that surround The Dalmore’s Highland distillery.
Dobbin’s extraordinary sculpture which houses The Rare whisky appears almost suspended in time and is a fine example of tensegrity, a contemporary style of architecture in which objects appear to be built by nature in precisely balanced tension.
Using this architectural approach, Dobbin has designed an art sculpture that is dynamic, bold and perfectly balanced, a true reflection of the quality of the liquid itself. The asymmetric sculpture made of bronze, features dramatic waves and rods, smooth curves and straight lines, and is balanced with precision in dynamic equilibrium.
The Dalmore Whisky Makers were equally exacting when creating the whiskies and also took inspiration from Dobbin’s personal tastes and preferences into the creative process. ‘The Rare’ is Aged 52 Years with a multi-cask finish in exceptionally rare casks.
Inspired by conversations with Dobbin, The Dalmore whisky makers revisited a special set of Calvados casks, which the team had the foresight to laydown even before the French brandy was approved as a finish by the Scotch Whisky authorities in 2019.
Matured in American White Oak ex-Bourbon barrels, this whisky has been finished in a complex cask assemblage of Vintage 1980 Calvados, 1940 Colheita Port, Tawny Port, Pedro Ximénez Sherry aged 40 Years, and red wine from Mont Redon.
The Dalmore Luminary Series No. 3 2025 Edition follows two earlier collaborations, firstly with Kengo Kuma and Maurizio Mucciola, designers of the landmark V&A Dundee, and last year with Melodie Leung, renowned designer and Director at Zaha Hadid Associates, whose portfolio includes The Henderson Building in Hong Kong.
Since forming their partnership in 2020 and the inception of The Luminary Series in 2021, The Dalmore has given over £200,000 to the museum to support their design and community work both locally and globally.
All elements for this chapter of The Dalmore Luminary Series No.3 2025 were conceived collaboratively, with Glass, Paterson and Dobbin working together to bring both the whiskies and designs to life.
