Dalmore Master Distiller Richard Paterson and Micheline stared chef Massimo Bottura have come together to create a “one off” bottle of whisky for an online auction at Sotheby’s from the 25th of April to the 9th of May.
Two legends in their respective fields, Richard Paterson (Dalmore Master Distiller) and Massimo Bottura (Chef patron of Osteria Francescana). Have come together to create the single malt called L’Anima.
L’Anima, meaning soul in Italian is a 49-year-old marriage of Dalmore whiskies matured in ex-bourbon barrels, and Gonzalez Byass Sherry casks. These casks previously held a 40-year-old sherry called Pedro Ximinez Sherry.
Dalmore describe the whisky as:”On the nose, the single malt has exotic aromas of sun-kissed raisins, bitter chocolate and old English marmalade; to taste, hints of freshly brewed Java coffee, Demerara sugar, pecan pie and crème brûlée, while Sanguinello blood oranges linger on the after taste alongside rich treacle and succulent figs.”
The Whisky is contained in a crystal decanter, with Sterling silver features such as; the collar, stopper and a hand-crafted stag emblem. The whisky will be enclosed in an Italian olive wood, American black walnut and solid ebony cabinet. This was assembled by Scottish craftsman John Galvin.
For Bottura this will be his first outing into the world of whisky, and it’s fair to say it is not a bad way to start. Dalmore hail Bottura as “the world’s best chef”. It’s hard to argue with this claim as Bottura boasts a three Micheline star restaurant the Osteria Francescana. To those who are not aware of the restaurant, it has the rather large accolade of being the best restaurant in the world. He has also won numerous awards including that of the Gran Prix de l'Art de la Cuisine. From the international Academy of Gastronomy in Paris.
As for Paterson it is another amazing bottle to add to his impressive collection of Dalmore expressions he has created. Paterson has been working for Whyte and Mackay for 49 years and 4 months and has come up with many bottles revered around the world. An example of his work is the Paterson Collection, a collection of 12 single malts sold for £987,500. Paterson is no stranger to mega whisky events, and it is almost certain this one of a kind bottle will fetch a large price tag.
When describing the project and working with each other Bottura said: “His creative process is exactly the same as mine. I felt so related with him the first time I talk with him. Because of this amazing opening in his mind. We are both obsessed about quality. That is not just the quality of the ingredients but the quality of the ideas.”
Patterson described working with Bottura by saying:” So, we are already talking in a language similar to each other. But it came down to one word. Passion. The passion that man has for his food, is the same passion I have for the whisky. And we wanted to combine those passions. To get into the very soul of the whisky.
With us creating this very rare single malt it’s going to be something rare, it’s going to be something special. But it’s going to be the soul of the Dalmore, the soul of Richard Paterson, and the soul of Massimo all coming together. And I hope that will reflect not just the soul of Massimo’s food but the soul of the whisky.”
The bottle is on sale from 3pm today on Sotheby’s website, all proceeds from the sale will be going to Bottura’s non-profit organisation Food for Soul, which empowers communities to fight food waste through social inclusion.
(Article image credit: The Dalmore)