Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the most widely distributed brand of Scotch whisky in the world, sold in almost every country and with yearly sales of over 120 million bottles.

History of Johnnie Walker

Originally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the brand is a legacy left by John ‘Johnnie’ Walker after he started to sell whisky in his grocer’s shop in Ayrshire, Scotland. The brand became popular, but after Walker's death in 1857 it was his son Alexander Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the whisky as a popular brand. Under John Walker, whisky sales represented eight percent of the firm’s income; by the time Alexander was ready to pass on the company to his own sons, that figure had increased to between 90 and 95 percent.

Prior to 1860 it was illegal to sell blended (malt and grain mixed together) whisky. During that time John Walker sold a number of whiskys — notably his own Walker’s Kilmarnock. In 1865 John’s son Alexander produced their first blend, Walker’s Old Highland.

Alexander Walker first introduced the iconic square bottle in 1870. The other identifying characteristic of the bottle is the label, which is applied at an angle of 24 degrees.

From 1906–1909 John’s grandsons George and Alexander II expanded the line and introduced the colour names. In 1908, when James Stevenson was the Managing Director, there was a re-branding of sorts. The whisky was renamed from Walker's Kilmarnock Whiskies to Johnnie Walker Whisky. In addition, the slogan, "Born 1820 – Still going Strong!" was created, along with the Striding Man, a figure used in their advertisements for around fifty years.

They dropped Johnnie Walker White during World War I. In 1932, Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line.

Johnnie Walker continues to be blended in Kilmarnock, with a large plant just north of the town's railway station. The historic bonded warehouses and company offices (now local authority) can still be seen in Strand Street and John Finnie Street.

Blends

For most of its history Johnnie Walker was only offered a small number of blends. In recent years there has been a growing number of special and or limited bottlings.

Standard blends

Red & Cola – a premix of Red Label and cola, sold in cans and beer-bottle like bottles. This product has also been marketed under the names "Premix" and "One".

Red Label — a blend of around 35 grain and malt whiskies. 80 proof. 40% ABV.

Black Label — a blend of as many as 40 whiskies, each aged at least 12 years. According to William Manchester, this was the favorite Scotch of Winston Churchill.[4] 80 proof. 40% ABV.

Johnnie Walker Swing — named for the distinctive bottle, in which an irregular bottom allows it to rock back and forth. It was Alexander II’s last blend: it features a high proportion of Speyside malts, complemented by malts from the northern Highlands and Islay, and is "almost as sweet as a bourbon."

Green Label — a vatted malt whisky that consists of a blend of about 15 individual single malts, the signature malts being Talisker, Cragganmore, Linkwood, and Caol Ila – Aged 15 years. 86 proof. 43% ABV. Previously sold under the name 'Pure Malt'.

Gold Label — a rare blend of over 15 single malts, including the very rare Clynelish malt. It was derived from Alexander II's blending notes for a whisky to commemorate Johnnie Walker's centenary[citation needed]. His original efforts were thwarted by a shortage of these malts following World War I. Gold Label is commonly bottled at 15 or 18 years. 80 proof. 40% ABV.

Blue Label — Johnnie Walker's premium blend. Every bottle is serial numbered and sold in a silk-lined box, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. There is no age declaration for Blue Label, though rumor puts it at 22 years. 86 proof.

Special/limited bottlings
Millennium Edition – a collectors edition of 12 year old Black Label was released in limited amounts in the year 2000.
Deco – a very limited number of 350 ml bottles were produced in beautiful Art Deco-designed bottles, hence the name of this blend.
Premier – a blend aimed specifically at the Japanese market.
Swing Superior – a limited edition variety based on the Swing blend, marked by its distinctive golden label. 86.8 proof.
1939 Swing $1500
Celebrity
Johnnie Walker 1820
Liquer Whisky $1200
21 year old – a rare aged variation of Gold Label.
Quest – a very special blend, rarer than Blue Label. (~$500)
Honour – one of the most rare and most expensive blends of Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky.
Excelsior – a very rare double matured Scotch whisky, distilled in 1947, bottled in 1997. (~$700)
Old Harmony – a rare blend marketed at the Japanese market. Very expensive. (~$850)
15 year old Kilmarnock 400 Whisky – an extremely rare Gold Label blend bottled to mark the 400th anniversary of the granting of burgh status to Kilmarnock. Released in 1992 in very limited amounts. (~$850)
150 years Anniversary 1820–1970 – the second most expensive of Johnnie Walker whiskies. (~$2,000)
Blue Label 200th Anniversary – 2005 saw Johnnie Walker's extremely limited bottling of its ultimate blend. A special release of cask strength Blue Label, in a special square Baccarat crystal decanter. It is the most expensive Johnnie Walker product, selling recently for over $3,599 a bottle.
Blue Label King George V Edition - 2007 To recreate the Johnnie Walker blending style from King George V era. Oak casks dating back to the last century were used to age the whisky, sourced from distilleries operating during the reign of King George V. Special packaging in crystal decanter accompanied by an individually numbered certificate of authenticity.(~$550)
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Mini Blended Scotch Whisky - a very rare item that includes a hand blown nosing glass and sealed tasting notes
and booklet on blue label whisky, $250
"Johnny Walker One" - Scotch Whiskey Mixed Drink - Distributed in Thailand by Riche Monde.


Sponsorships
Johnnie Walker sponsors
the Johnnie Walker Classic, an Asia-Pacific golf tournament
the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, a golf tournament in Scotland
the McLaren-Mercedes F1 team.
the Ashes, a cricket series between Australia and England



In Popular Culture

A number of singers and songwriters have referenced Johnnie Walker in their works, including George Thorogood, Brand New, Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sticky Fingaz, NOFX, Rory Gallagher, Inspectah Deck, George Jones, Amanda Marshall, Jimmy Buffett, Trent Willmon, Clutch, The Band, Covenant, Marius Müller-Westernhagen, King Tee and ZZ Top. Zakk Wylde named his heavy metal band Black Label Society after Johnnie Walker Black Label. Elliott Smith's song Miss Misery, for the film Good Will Hunting, opens with the line "I'll fake it through the day with some help, from Johnnie Walker Red."

Johnnie Walker whisky appears in fiction often. Notable examples—in which the whisky was a noted part of the story—include:

In Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the Shore a character appears named Johnnie Walker, his attire based on the red jacket, boots, cane, bow-tie and hat worn by the character in the product's logo. Johnnie Walker is extremely popular in Japan.
Léon Gontran Damas, French poet of the Negritude literary movement, titled one of his poetry collection "Black-Label", after one of his poems describing his spleen and mild alcoholism.
Nationally-famous 1950s Bollywood actor Johnny Walker took his pseudonym from the whisky company. He did so because of his debut in the film industry as a drunkard.