Kyle Kuzma x The Dalmore

The Dalmore Cask Curation Series: The Red Wine Cask Edition comprises a set of three exquisite and exceptionally rare whiskies finished in fresh Château Mont‑Redon red wine casks from the world renowned Chateauneuf-du-Pape region of France.

This year, to celebrate the release, we have partnered with NBA Champion, entrepreneur, philanthropist and cultural tastemaker, Kyle Kuzma. Together, we explored how red wine, whisky and travel - including his love of France - can tell stories of time, place and culture.

Kyle’s influence extends far beyond the basketball court. Now beginning a new chapter of his life having recently turned 30, engaged to be married and about to start his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he remains an undeniable presence both on and off the court.

A disruptor in fashion and a dedicated philanthropist, Kyle has never lost sight of where his journey started. He channels his commitment to community through the Kyle Kuzma Family Foundation, which champions opportunities and resources for single mothers and their children.

Raised solely by his mother in Flint, Michigan - a town which was once the heartland of America’s automotive industry - Kyle played basketball at his local YMCA which offered a welcome escape from the challenges that surrounded him at the time. However, it was the process of childhood itself that instilled in him the humility, resilience and curiosity that defines his outlook on life today.

Since then, Kyle’s perspective of the world and of himself has evolved, particularly due to travel. For Kyle, travel is more than just a by-product of his career; it’s about full immersion, offering a chance to step inside other cultures and ways of living to seek a genuine connection.

“I look for experiences of culture,” he says. “I like to immerse myself in places where other people live and do what they do.” France stands out to him the most as a country that inspires through its art, architecture and wine. “You can be inspired just walking down a small alley at night, or going to a museum, or looking at the architecture,” he says.

If travel has shaped Kyle’s perspective, fashion has given him a voice, with boundary-pushing looks that have sparked both conversation and imitation. “In fashion, I’ve been disruptive, wearing different clothes, making the NBA tunnel more ‘couture’, playing with silhouettes and experimenting with shoes and brands.”

Red wine has become one of Kyle’s great passions, beginning in his rookie year with the LA Lakers and evolving into an impressive collection of vintage reds carefully curated from around the world. Each one, he says, tells a tale of time and place. “When you open a bottle of red, it could be a 1985, a 1995, a 2012, and each one tastes different. Each has a story.”

Like red wine, whisky is also not defined by flavour alone, Kyle notes, but by the conversations it sparks and the moments it anchors. “I look at whisky in a similar way to red wine. If I want to have a conversation or wind down, that’s the perfect time for whisky,” he says.

Kyle recognises this need to pause and wind down from time to time. “Life moves very fast for me, often uncontrollably, with the way I live and the things that come my way,” he says. “But it’s important to take a couple of minutes each day for yourself, to breathe, to reset.”

“That’s number one: being authentic to myself and what I enjoy,” he says. “Beyond just the taste, it’s the way The Dalmore moves in the business and spirits world. You don’t see much of it, and it has this sense of rarity.”

Red wine has long been a source of inspiration for The Dalmore, not only for its depth of flavour but for the sense of place it carries. Sourced from the world’s finest wineries and estates, these casks are used to finish our Single Malt, making much more of the maturation time and creating a richer, deeper, more complex whisky.

This shared philosophy with Kyle has now come to life with the launch of The Red Wine Cask Edition, the third instalment in the Cask Curation Series. Through privileged access, our Master Whisky Makers have hand-selected three of the freshest 2023 Château Mont‑Redon red wine casks to finish each of the three rare Single Malts in this set.

Like the Red Wine Cask Edition, Kyle’s life has been one of provenance, patience, discovery and artistry, a story defined by both origin and reinvention.

This new chapter in Kyle’s life brings with it a sharpened sense of self, something he feels really good about. “As I turn 30, it’s a lot of self-reflection and moving with purpose and intention,” he says. “You kind of understand what you want in life or what you’re moving towards.”

It’s this balance - ambition and stillness, disruption and reflection - that makes Kyle’s partnership with The Dalmore more than just a collaboration. Steven Pearson, Chief Marketing Officer at The Dalmore wholeheartedly agrees. “Kyle stands for more than what he does on the court,” he says. “He has a breadth of interests and a visionary, creative spirit that resonates with The Dalmore’s approach.”

The Dalmore has been making whisky for more than 180 years with an unbroken chain of visionary whisky makers who have passed their expertise down through the generations.

Our motto inherited from Clan Mackenzie, lucero non uro, meaning ‘I shine, not burn’, reflects an ethos of possibility and potential, aligning with Kyle’s own philosophy: not chasing quick wins, but building something that endures. 

In his heart, Kyle is most comfortable being exactly who he is.

“I would describe myself as being just authentically who I project to the world,” he says. “We live in a world where so many people project who they want the world to see, instead of who they actually are. With me, what you see is what you get at all times.”

Watch a behind-the-scenes look at Kyle’s interview below