Daniel Arsham's 88-Layer Bronze Sculpture Encases The Balvenie's Oldest Whisky

The Balvenie distillery has unveiled its oldest whisky ever, the Eighty-Eight-Year-Old, as part of The 1931 Collection, and commissioned artist Daniel Arsham to create a sculptural vessel for it. Arsham's design, described as a 'time-worn relic,' consists of eight tiers of hand-patinated bronze, each representing a decade of the whisky's maturation. The sculpture also incorporates wood made from 88 symbolic layers of oak and a copper disc formed from a decommissioned distillery still, which serves as a pedestal for the bottle. The whisky itself is housed in a hand-blown crystal decanter featuring 'The Balvenie Ball,' inspired by the shape of the distillery's copper stills. The collaboration debuted at Frieze Seoul with an immersive performance directed by Arsham, featuring dancers choreographed by Sukyung Yoo moving across a barley-grain canvas, accompanied by a soundscape of ambient distillery sounds. Arsham noted that his work explores time, material transformation, and the histories objects carry, and this project made the passage of time tangible. The Balvenie's Eighty-Eight-Year-Old was distilled in 1931, making it nearly a century old. The sculpture's materials reference the distillery's textures and the natural oxidation of copper over time. The performance at Frieze Seoul included eight acts, with Arsham occasionally joining the dancers in a practice of moving meditation.