The Dalmore unveils luxury Harrods tie-in

The Dalmore has joined forces with Harrods to offer a one-off collection of rare whiskies worth nearly £1 million for the UK luxury retailer’s newly refurbished Fine Spirits Room.

Priced at £987,500, The Dalmore Paterson Collection consists of 12 bottles, selected by Richard Paterson, master distiller of The Dalmore, and Nick Fleming, wine & spirits buyer for Harrods.

Dating from 1926 to the 1990s, each of the whiskies has been named by Paterson in honour of the people who have influenced or inspired him during his career. These include his father and grandfather, as well as the founders of The Dalmore’s parent’s company, James Whyte and Charles Mackay.

The collection is accompanied by a hand-written, calf-skin ledger of more than 200 pages, which documents every step that went into this whisky selection.

Each of the 12 whiskies is housed in a hand-made, lead crystal Glencairn decanter, with silver engraving by luxury jeweler Hamilton & Inches. The collection is presented in a wooden cabinet, specially designed by cabinet-maker Gavin Robertson in a 700 hour project.

Stressing the unique nature of this collaboration, John Beard, chief executive of Whyte & Mackay, said: “Nobody has ever launched a whisky collection such as this before. It represents the lifetimes work of one of the whisky industy’s most dedicated, respected and loved characters – Richard Paterson.

“Whoever buys this will own a truly unique collection of whiskies as well as a little bit of Richard himself as he has put so much in to the creation of this collection.”

Going on sale today, The Dalmore Paterson Collection marks the latest response to the global growth for luxury spirits, which is expected to rise by 12% in 2013.

According to a 2012 report from Bain & Company, much of this growth is being driven by luxury tourism, which is estimated to account for 40% of global luxury spending. The management consultancy firm indicated that China accounts for one in four purchases of “personal” luxury goods.

Much of this trend is mirrored in the luxury whisky sector, where emerging markets within Latin America and Asia are showing particularly strong demand for rare and vintage expressions. The US market is also showing a fierce appetite for single malt whisky, helping sales in this market to grow by 16% in 2012, according to data from CM Research.