The Dalmore Just Dropped a 52-Year-Old Calvados-Finished Whisky, and Only 1 Person Can Own It

The third installment in the ongoing Luminary Series of Scotch whiskies by The Dalmore is essentially a tale of two whiskies. One, a 52-year-old single malt, ranks among the rarest released by the distillery, which was established in 1839. The other, a 17-year-old, will be easier to find and undoubtedly far less expensive. However, both expressions are making history as the first Dalmore whiskies finished in Calvados casks to ever be made available.

If you’ve ever wondered why there aren’t more Scotch whiskies finished in Calvados casks, the answer is simple and perhaps surprising: it’s only been legal since 2019. That’s when the Scotch Whisky Association loosened its restrictions on barrel-finishing and permitted casks that had formerly held the French apple brandy to be used. The Dalmore, the famed Highland distillery that has been in operation since 1839, had been experimenting with Calvados-finished whiskies before the rule change, but the Luminary Series No. 3 — 2025 Edition is the first time the public will get to taste them.

The first bottling, known as “The Rare,” lives up to its name, with only two bottles produced. One will reside permanently in The Dalmore archives, while the other will be unveiled at the Venice Biennale of Architecture prior to its auction at Sotheby’s, with the proceeds going to support V&A Dundee, Scotland’s design museum.

Architect Ben Dobbin, who, with the Foster + Partners architecture firm, helped design Apple Park in California, created a bespoke sculpture to hold the specially designed decanter. In a word, the sculpture can be described as an example of “tensegrity,” an architectural term defining a design that uses elements of compression and tension. “With the sculpture you see bronze rods draw in to and lean out from a wooden pedestal, which is where the Dalmore decanter is placed — as if suspended in space,” Glass observes. “It’s fantastic because you cannot quite see how it is achieved.”  

Dobbin’s work with The Dalmore extended to the whisky itself as well, involving a three-way collaboration with Paterson and Glass. “Ben had already started his whisky journey prior to the project,” Glass says.

“What was brilliant actually was not only the immersion we had with Ben Dobbin at The Dalmore distillery, but the total immersion he undertook with the place,” Glass added. “Scotland, the rolling Highlands, the Forth Road Rail Bridge, all played their influence in what we created together. In some ways you can take for granted the beauty of where we make our whisky — and Ben came with a fresh perspective.”

In addition to 1980 vintage Calvados casks, the 52-year-old whisky has been matured in a variety of rare old casks that previously held several different spirits, including 1940 Colheita Port, rare Tawny Port, 40-year-old Pedro Ximénez Sherry, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine. The other side of the Luminary Series coin, known as “The Collectible,” is a more accessible version of The Rare, with 20,000 bottles available globally. 

The casks used to mature The Collectible aren’t as rare or as old as those used for The Rare; however, they do include casks that formerly contained vintage and aged Calvados, Matusalem and Apostoles sherry, red wine casks from Bordeaux and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and fully matured American white oak. The Collectible is aged for a total of 17 years. 

The flavor profile of The Collectible was intended to complement that of The Rare, while also being more accessible to whisky lovers in terms of availability and pricing. “Every release of The Dalmore is an expression of our fantastic house style,” says Glass. “What’s great with each edition of the Luminary Series is we can explore that style twice…. For Edition No. 3 we had lengthy conversations not only about pear tatin, green tea, and red apples, but of the exact type of taste profile for each of those that Ben had envisioned. What’s fantastic is that Ben really understands taste, and wanted to learn how Richard and I create an experience of taste through our whisky.”

Glass is pleased with how the Calvados cask maturation turned out. “One of the joys of the project was to have opportunity to experiment with the flavor characteristics of casks that are uncommon in the industry. Not only did we explore Calvados, but we had two vintage casks, and a younger parcel which offered different flavor nuances for the recipe. The key question became, not about what my expectation was as a whisky maker, but on whether it had the potential to deliver the right type of apple note, and taste experience Ben, Richard and I were looking for.”

It will undoubtedly be tempting for the winner of the sole bottle of The Rare to keep it pristine and unopened. But Glass says he created both expressions of the Luminary Series No. 3 to be consumed and enjoyed: “One of the biggest joys for me is the moment of enjoyment, whether it be one or 1,000-plus bottles… for me, a whisky is only complete when it is enjoyed by our fans.”