The Macallan delighted whisky connoisseurs with the recent launch of its The Tree of Life. The 46-year-old Highland single malt is a tribute to famed designer/architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The Dalmore is not one to just let the competition hog all the attention. Hence, it retorts with a spectacular spirit dubbed The Rare.
Listed by the distillery as the Luminary No.3 2025 Edition, it strictly lives up to its moniker. As the press materials dictate: “Created in collaboration with Scotland’s design museum, V&A Dundee and Ben Dobbin of Foster & Partners architects, The Rare decanter and sculpture is an exceptionally limited release of just one of two.”
Drawing parallels with The Tree of Life by The Macallan, the presentation is nothing short of extravagant. A simple yet elegant decanter with a silver swirl pattern on the stopper houses the precious liquid. As a means to draw our attention to what truly matters, The Dalmore commissions an elaborate sculpture that elevates the bottle.
Dobbin applies his renowned discipline to craft the pedestal out of Scottish brown oak, bronze, and brass. There is also a round green leather liner on the base, embossed with The Dalmore’s 12-point Royal Stag emblem.
Overall, the decorative aspects appropriately set expectations ahead of your first sip. We also learned that the finishing process involves hand-selected casks, such as Calvados vintage 1980, tawny port pipe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wine, 1940 Colheita port pipe, and Pedro Ximénez aged 40 years.
Aromas of soft wood spice, sugared almonds, and baked red apples greet you at first whiff. Those lucky enough to sample The Rare are then met with notes of dark chocolate, blood orange, rich caramel, and apple crumble. The Dalmore says its finish involves licorice, marzipan, vanilla, and tarte tatin.
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Images courtesy of The Dalmore
