The Dalmore Just Dropped a 52-Year-Old, Potentially $100,000+ Scotch Whisky — And We Got A Taste

(Photo: The Dalmore)

The Dalmore is back in the headlines with a 52-year-old scotch that checks every box for a theatrical, borderline-unattainable spirits release.

Dubbed Luminary 2025 Edition – “The Rare,” just two bottles were ushered into existence by the historic distiller founded in 1839. One bottle is scheduled for permanent display at the brand’s headquarters in Alness, Scotland; the other is slated for auction next week at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Both are perched atop a sculpture helmed by Foster + Partners, the international architecture firm behind myriad Apple stores and glass-faced skyscrapers the world over.

The price? Hard to say. What we do know is that last year’s iteration in the series — a 49-year whisky housed in an equally showstopping display case — auctioned for upwards of $120,000. In all likelihood, this year’s edition will easily shatter that number and then some.

It’s rare to personally lay eyes on a bottle like this. Much less to taste a drop.

The gods of scotch must have been shining kindly upon us this month, because we were invited to sit down with Dalmore Head of Education Craig Bridger to see what all the pomp and circumstance was about. Notepad in hand, we prepared to jot down every last detail.

5 Decades, 6 Casks

As is sometimes the case with ultra-exclusive, auction-oriented spirits, “The Rare” was released alongside a younger sibling. After all, one of the perks of selling a six-figure decanter is that its readily available, three-figure counterpart suddenly looks affordable by comparison.

This year’s accompaniment came in the form of “The Collectible.” Limited to a total of 20,000 bottles, the expression is a 17-year single malt first matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks. From there, the liquid is finished in just about everything imaginable. Three types of Calvados casks, including vintages from 1999 and 1989; Matusalem sherry; ex-bourbon barrels and red wine casks from Bordeaux and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It’s subsequently non-chill filtered, bottled at 49.2% ABV and released at a cool $399.99 per bottle.

It wasn’t until 2019 that the Scotch Whisky Association approved Calvados casks for liquor aging. A type of French brandy made with either apples or pears, Calvados enjoys semi-niche status outside of its home region of Normandy. According to Bridger, The Dalmore laid down a handful of whisky reserves in these much-loved casks “just in case” the regulations ever changed down the road. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened.

I was quite impressed with this expression, especially after sipping it side by side with solo pours of Calvados and Matusalem sherry. The palate is chock-full of dried apricot, apple slices and dark chocolate shavings that gave way to a bourbon-esque finish of honey and nougat. Side note: it’s high time I added a bottle of sherry to my bar cart; I can’t believe how cheap some of these options are online.

The Dalmore Luminary No. 3 – 2025 Edition – The Collectible

If “The Collectible” was the appetizer, then “The Rare” was imagined as the main course. In lieu of the glitzy decanter and collectible sculpture I’d been hearing about all day, the whisky was served to me from a nondescript bottle with a few numbers and letters scribbled on the label. The liquid within was dark as coffee.

Much like its younger acquaintance, the 52-year expression began its tenure in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. The liquid was then finished in a rare assemblage of vintage 1980 Calvados, 1940 Colheita port, Tawny port, 40-year Pedro Ximenez sherry and Chateauneuf-du-Pape casks. It was almost as if The Dalmore had upgraded each aspect of the 17-year with some sort of decades-old age statement or recognizable name. (On second thought, “The Rare” was clearly the egg that preceded the chicken, so to speak.)

Perhaps most intriguing of all, the scotch was bottled just a touch above the legal minimum at 40.3% ABV. I was preparing to taste quite a bit of oak on the palate.

The aroma opened with heady aromas of mint, macadamia nuts, vanilla and allspice. On the palate, tons of brandy influences — honey, plum, pear tart and stewed apples — were underlined by a toothsome ultra-dark cocoa note and a bittersweet vibe reminiscent of fennel. An intriguing scotch through and through. And good justification for the lifting of that Calvados ban.

The Dalmore Luminary 2025 Edition – The Rare will be up for auction at Sotheby’s until May 16, with all proceeds benefitting the V&A Dundee Museum across the pond.