Design and uncommon whisky dazzle in The Luminary Sequence from The Dalmore

In partnership with The Dalmore (opens in new tab)

For Kengo Kuma, whose extraordinary buildings discover and enrich the connection between structure and the land, understanding location is integral in making every venture distinctive. Now, Kuma and his protégé Maurizio Mucciola of London-based PiM.studio Architects have turned their shared artistic ethos to a limited-edition collection of The Dalmore single malts and a quest to find a degree of convergence between the advanced abilities of architectural design and whisky-making.

The Dalmore’s Luminary Sequence of single malts, curated in partnership with the V&A Dundee – Scotland’s design museum, itself designed by Kuma – is a three-year venture that matches the skills of whisky-making artisans with artistic luminaries. Starting in 2022, the collection includes the discharge of three editions over three years, every containing two Luminary whiskies – The Uncommon and The Collectible – introduced in particular showcases.

Working with The Dalmore’s grasp distiller Richard Paterson and grasp maker Gregg Glass respectively, Kuma and Mucciola co-conceived single malts – 48-year-old and 15-year-old – that embody the collaborators’ pursuit of excellence, respect for pure supplies and deep regard for the artistic course of.      

The Luminary No.1 – The Uncommon – 2022 Version was co-conceived by Kuma and Paterson and solely three bottles have been created. The uncommon whisky, hand-nurtured for 48 years and completed in casks of Scottish Tay oak and of Japanese oak air dried on the distillery, is housed in a singular sculpture designed by Kuma, comprising 48 diamond-shaped panels and handcrafted in the identical woods because the casks (the Tay oak was salvaged from a tree that had fallen beside the eponymous river) and glinting metal.

An significance positioned on the usage of pure supplies, particularly wooden, is Kuma’s signature and is mirrored in his design of V&A Dundee’s inside. At The Dalmore, the situation’s elementary parts of soil and timber play an intrinsic function within the whisky-making course of and in giving the whisky its distinctive flavour. Kuma established a poetic connection between design and whisky-making, highlighting mutually utilised supplies, taking inspiration from pure environment, and honouring a friendship with the V&A Dundee that introduced collectively the venture. 

Kuma’s sculpture for The Luminary No.1 The Uncommon highlights the architect’s signature light integration and intimate understanding of pure supplies and destructive house, the putting of steel alongside wooden a nod to ‘kintsugi’, an historical Japanese artwork the place damaged pottery is repaired with gold, to unbelievable outcomes. The wooden, steel and mirrored mild obtain steadiness and concord, drawing parallels with the artwork of the grasp distillers that create completely harmonious whisky flavours. 

Says Kuma, ‘My relationship with The Dalmore, and with Scotland, is one born from a love of pure supplies and the unfolding of tales over a lifetime. In my work with Richard Paterson and The Dalmore, I see the identical respect for the surroundings, and the identical cautious consideration to the way in which nice design should proceed to evolve over time. The design echoes this sensibility, inviting all who see it to think about the weather, seen and unseen, which have gone into its conception.’ 

The Luminary No.1 – The Collectible – 2022 Version is a collaboration between Glass and Mucciola that echoes its Uncommon associate in design. Glass created an modern 15-year-old single malt that spotlights his ardour for wooden and flavour. It begins its journey in American white oak and finishes it in hand-selected Italian Amarone purple wine casks and bespoke ‘kintsugi’ casks constituted of that upcycled Scottish Tay oak. 

The Collectible is held in a up to date case designed by Mucciola that sees motifs from Kuma’s sculpture reimagined and reworked right into a graphic sample utilized to its packaging. Delicate earth tones have been chosen to recall the robust connections between nature, the situation, and the whisky.