The making of The Dalmore Luminary 2025 Edition - part three

There was a natural creative flow between each partner on the project. Together the team worked harmoniously, whilst affording each other time to contribute their unique perspective on the whisky, and on the sculpture.

A key aspect was the time, invested to exploring The Dalmore’s rare casks to create The Dalmore Luminary 2025 Edition, guided by Ben’s thoughts and reflections on flavour, aroma and colour. “Working with Ben on the whiskies and on the design aspects of the packaging and sculpture has been an honour,” says Richard. 

“It’s all come very naturally; there are so many synergies in the way we work. It is all about passion at the end of the day, and that is what unites us. For myself personally, I know Ben had a very personal approach to the experience of taste, and that was important too."

When asked about the parallels between whisky making and architecture, Ben reflects. “The whisky makers at The Dalmore have taken great care to create an experience for the future, carefully gathering materials - in this case, the casks. Each cask serves as a vital structural component. They’ve been held, maturing for decades, as a gift to the future,” he adds. “In parallel, when you design a building, that building continues to live, developing for 50 to 100 years or more, so you’re placing some kind of trust in the future - giving to it almost.”

Richard concurs, “Whisky making and architecture share so many parallels. Both are about evoking emotion and stimulating conversation. You’re creating something that you hope will enrich shared moments between people, that will be warmly remembered for generations,” he says.

Ben’s inspiration from his visits to The Dalmore distillery and the natural rolling topography of the Scottish Highlands culminated in the creation of a sculpture designed to house The Luminary 2025 Edition - The Rare, the pinnacle of this collaboration.

The sculpture is a striking embodiment of tension and balance, reflecting Ben’s philosophy of harmony through contrasting forces. Ben describes the piece as derived from both a sense of place and the meticulous process of whisky making. “It’s a landscape shaped by the senses,” he says. “It reflects on how everything draws together – the flow of the liquids, the flow of the Highland mountains, and the flow of the water that leads down to the distillery.” 

“When you look at Ben’s sculpture, you see balance with the whisky decanter suspended,” adds Richard. “Everything comes together in equal parts; the strands of the sculpture all flow together, and in its essence, whisky comes together the same way.”

Gregg finishes by reflecting on The Dalmore Luminary Series, “We’ve really had a symbiotic relationship with Ben and all of the artists we’ve collaborated with in this series. They’ve left us with something new in terms of our whisky making philosophy - one that’s going to influence generations of The Dalmore whisky makers for many years to come,” he says.