Johnnie Walker Explained

Johnnie Walker
Type:Scotch whisky
Manufacturer:Diageo
Origin Label:Origin
Origin:Kilmarnock, Scotland
Introduced:1820: Grocery shops
1865: Whisky blending
Website:Johnnie Walker
Abv:40%

Johnnie Walker (Scottish Gaelic: Seonaidh Walker) is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's largest bottling plant,[1] until its closure in 2012, a decision announced by Diageo in 2009 which would bring the 190-year association between the brand and Kilmarnock to an end.[2]

The brand was first established by grocer John Walker, a native of Kilmarnock, who originally established the business and a grocery shop in 1820, with his son Alexander "Alec" Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II, being largely responsible for establishing the whisky as a favoured brand. It is the world's highest selling Scotch whisky,[3] sold in almost every country, with annual sales of the equivalent of over 223.7 million bottles in 2016 [{{cvt|156600000|L}}].[4]

History

John Walker, founder

John Walker was born on 25 July 1805. His farmer father died in 1819, and the family sold the farm. Their trustees invested the proceeds, £417, in an Italian warehouse, grocery, and wine and spirits shop on the High Street in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. Walker managed the grocery, wine, and spirits segment as a teenager in 1820. The Excise Act 1823 relaxed strict laws on distillation of whisky and reduced, by a considerable amount, the extremely heavy taxes on the distillation and sale of whisky.[5] By 1825, Walker, a teetotaller, was selling spirits, including rum, brandy, gin, and whisky.[6]

In short order, he switched to dealing mainly in whisky. Since blending of grain whiskies with malt whiskies was still banned, he sold both blended malt whiskies and grain whiskies.[7] They were sold as made-to-order whiskies, blended to meet specific customer requirements, because he did not have any brand of his own.[8] He began using his name on labels years later, selling a blended malt as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky. John Walker died in 1857.

Death of Walker and takeover by son

The brand became popular, but after Walker's death it was his son Alexander 'Alec' Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the whisky as a favoured brand. The Spirits Act 1860 legalised the blending of grain whiskies with malt whiskies and ushered in the modern era of blended Scotch whisky.[9] Blended Scotch whisky, lighter and sweeter in character, was more accessible, and much more marketable to a wider audience. Andrew Usher of Edinburgh, was the first to produce a blended whisky, but the Walkers followed in due course.[10]

Alexander Walker had introduced the brand's signature square bottle in 1860. This meant more bottles fitting the same space and fewer broken bottles. The other identifying characteristic of the Johnnie Walker bottle was – and still is – the label, which, since that year, is applied at an angle of 24 degrees upwards left to right and allows text to be made larger and more visible.[11] This also allowed consumers to identify it at a distance. One major factor in his favour was the arrival of a railway in Kilmarnock, carrying goods to merchant ships travelling the world. Thanks to Alec's business acumen, sales of Walker's Kilmarnock reached 100,000 gallons (450,000 litres) per year by 1862.

In 1865, Alec created Johnnie Walker's first commercial blend and called it Old Highland Whisky, before registering it as such in 1867.[12]

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.[13] [14]

Expansion and growth

In 1893, Cardhu distillery was purchased by the Walkers to reinforce the stocks of one of the Johnnie Walker blends' key malt whiskies. This move took the Cardhu single malt out of the market and made it the exclusive preserve of the Walkers.[15] Cardhu's output became the heart of the Old Highland Whisky and after the rebranding of 1909, the prime single malt in Johnnie Walker Red and Black Labels.

From 1906 to 1909, John's grandsons George and Alexander II expanded the line and had three blended whiskies in the market, Old Highland at 5 years old, Special Old Highland at 9 years old, and Extra Special Old Highland at 12 years old. These three brands had the standard Johnnie Walker labels, the only difference being their colours: white, red, and black, respectively. They were commonly referred to in public by the colours of their labels. In 1909, as part of a rebranding that saw the introduction of the Striding Man, a mascot used to the present day that was created by cartoonist Tom Browne,[16] the company re-branded their blends to match the common colour names. The Old Highland was renamed Johnnie Walker White Label[17] and made at 6 years old, the Special Old Highland became Johnnie Walker Red Label at 10 years old, and Extra Special Old Highland was renamed Johnnie Walker Black Label, remaining 12 years old.

Sensing an opportunity to expand the scale and variety of their brands, Walker acquired interests in Coleburn distillery in 1915, quickly followed by Clynelish Distillery Co. and Dailuaine-Talisker Co. in 1916. This ensured a steady supply of single-malt whisky from the Cardhu, Coleburn, Clynelish, Talisker, and Dailuaine distilleries.[18] In 1923, Walker bought Mortlach distillery, in furtherance of their strategy.[19] Most of their output was used in Johnnie Walker blends, whose burgeoning popularity required increasingly vast volumes of single malts.

Johnnie Walker White was dropped during World War I.[20] In 1932, Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line, the name originating from the unusual shape of the bottle, which allowed it to rock back and forth.

The company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers Company was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997. That year saw the introduction of the blended malt, Johnnie Walker Pure Malt, renamed Johnnie Walker Green Label in 2004.[21]

Closure of Kilmarnock plant

In July 2009, the brand's current owners, Diageo, decided to close all operations in Kilmarnock by 2012. This met with backlash from local people, politicians, and then-First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond. Despite petitions, public campaigns, and a large-scale march around Kilmarnock, Diageo proceeded with the closure.[22] [23] The Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock closed its doors in March 2012 and the buildings were subsequently demolished a year later.[24] The site is now occupied by the Kilmarnock campus of Ayrshire College and HALO Urban Regeneration.

In July 2020, Johnnie Walker announced plans to release a new environmentally-friendly paper bottle set to debut in early 2021.[25]

In October 2021, Johnnie Walker announced a new label, Jane Walker, created by the distillery's first female master blender.[26] [27] [28]

Blends

For most of its history Johnnie Walker only offered a few blends. Since the turn of the century, there has been a spate of special and limited bottlings.

Johnnie Walker product lines, from least to most expensive
Age 1865–1905 1906–1908 1909–1920 1921–1931 1932–1991 1992–1996 1997–2010 2011—
— Old HighlandWhite Label
Not stated Special O.H.Red Label
12Walker's O.H.Extra Sp. O.H.Black Label
Not stated  Double Black
Not stated  Swing
15  Green Label
Not stated
(formerly 18)		  Gold Label Reserve
18  Platinum Label
Not stated  Blue Label

Marketing

The Walkers created their primary marketing strategy in 1908 with advertisements featuring Browne's Striding Man, using the slogan, "Johnnie Walker: Born 1820, still going strong". Photographs replaced the drawings in the 1930s, and the Striding Man was miniaturised to a coloured logo in 1939; it first appeared on the Johnnie Walker labels in 1960. In the late 1990s, the direction of the Striding Man was reversed as part of a "Keep Walking" campaign. The Striding Man icon was most recently redrawn in 2015.[49]

In 2009, the advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) created a new short film, starring Robert Carlyle and directed by Jamie Rafn, titled The Man Who Walked Around the World, which outlined the history of the Johnnie Walker brand.[50] [51] [52]

In April 2015, Diageo produced the Johnny Drama, named after the Entourage HBO series character Johnny "Drama" Chase, to promote the release of the movie version of Entourage.[53] [54]

In October 2018, Diageo teamed up with HBO to produce "White Walker by Johnnie Walker" whisky, inspired by the army of the undead in the TV series Game of Thrones as part of the marketing for the series' final season.[55] Diageo then released a collection of Game of Thrones–inspired single malt whiskies,[56] followed by two more whiskies by Johnnie Walker in mid-2019.[57]

Accolades

Johnnie Walker spirits have received strong scores at international spirits ratings competitions and from liquor review bodies. The Green Label received a string of three double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition between 2005 and 2007.[58] The Gold Label received double gold medals from the San Francisco competition in 2008 and 2009 and won a gold in 2010.[59] Spirits ratings aggregator proof66.com, which averages scores from the San Francisco Spirits Competition, Wine Enthusiast, and others, puts the Black, Blue, Gold and Green Labels in its highest performance category ("Tier 1" Spirits).[60] Johnnie Walker spirits have several times taken part in the Monde Selection's World Quality Selections and have received a Gold and Grand Gold Quality Award.[61] Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve won the World's Best Blended—Best Scotch Blended in World Whiskies Awards 2018.[62]

Sponsorships

Johnnie Walker was the official whisky of Formula One,[63] and was a sponsor for McLaren and Racing Point. Johnnie Walker is also the title namesake for the F1 Grand Prix race in Spa, Belgium.[64]

Johnnie Walker sponsored the Johnnie Walker Classic, an Asia-Pacific golf tournament, up to 2009 and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, a golf tournament in Scotland up to 2013.[65] Diageo sold the Gleneagles Hotel and Golf Course, the site of the tournament, mid-2015 to focus on its core business.[66]

Cultural figures

Winston Churchill's favourite whisky was Johnnie Walker Red Label, which he mixed with a large amount of water and drank throughout the day.[67]

Vanity Fair writer Christopher Hitchens was partial to Johnnie Walker Black Label cut with Perrier sparkling mineral water and referred to it as "Mr Walker's Amber Restorative".[68]

At the height of his fame in the late 1960s, New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath said, "I like my girls blonde and my Johnnie Walker red".[69]

Johnnie Walker Blue Label was a favourite of US president Richard Nixon's; Nixon used to enjoy it with ginger ale and a wedge of lime.[70]

A number of singers and songwriters have referenced Johnnie Walker in their works, from Amanda Marshall to ZZ Top.[71] Elliott Smith's Oscar-nominated "Miss Misery" has the narrator "[making] it through the day with some help from Johnnie Walker Red." Heavy metal band Black Label Society was named after Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, as Zakk Wylde was very fond of the drink.[72] George Thorogood name checks "Johnny Walker and his brothers Black and Red" in "I Drink Alone".The name appears also in the song "Remember to Forget" by Passenger.

Polish fictional humorous character Jakub Wędrowycz is a wordplay based on the Polish translation of "Johny Walker".[73]

In the 2007 film The Man from Earth, the main character John Oldman produces a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label, with his friends commenting on its quality.

In the 1982 film Blade Runner, Harrison Ford's character Rick Deckard is seen drinking Johnnie Walker Black Label, which he also drinks in the sequel, Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Coinciding with the release of Blade Runner 2049, Johnnie Walker released a "Director's Cut" edition of its Black Label, which was bottled at a higher proof.[74]

Further reading

External links

55.6144°N -4.5011°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Johnnie Walker . Kilmarnock History Group . 14 November 2023.
  2. News: Johnnie Walker whisky plant closes in Kilmarnock . BBC News . 13 November 2023.
  3. Web site: Brooker . Alice . 30 June 2022 . Top 10 best-selling Scotch whiskies . 25 February 2023 . The Spirits Business . en-US.
  4. Web site: 11 June 2017 . Scotch Whisky Brand Champion 2017: Glenfiddich . 16 December 2017 . thespiritsbusiness.com.
  5. Web site: History of Scotch Whisky . Scotch Whisky Association.
  6. Web site: Johnnie Walker – History . 16 December 2017 . www.thewhiskyexchange.com.
  7. Web site: Walking Tall . 16 December 2017 . Cigar Aficionado . M. Shanken Communications, Inc..
  8. Scotch: The Story of Whisky . Per Mikkelsen . dead . 31 October 2017 . 26 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220426105436/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw8JVKkoUHM%2F .
  9. Book: Joseph, Micallef . Scotch Whisky, Its History, Production and Appreciation . 2015 . Antioch Downs Press . 1313863564.
  10. Web site: 2 May 2017 . A Brief History of Blended Whisky . 31 December 2022 . The Whisky Shop Blog . en.
  11. The Man Who Walked Around the World . 2009 . . 30 June 2017.
  12. Web site: 2015 . The Johnnie Walker Story . 30 June 2017 . John Walker and Sons.
  13. Web site: MacDonogh . Giles . 2005 . John Walker's legacy . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060310035528/http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Features/CA_Feature_Basic_Template/0%2C2344%2C737%2C00.html . 10 March 2006 . Cigar Aficionado.
  14. Book: Maclean, Charles . Scotch Whisky: A Liquid History . 2003 . Cassell Illustrated . 1-84403-078-4 . London, England.
  15. Web site: 5 December 2014 . Johnnie Walker: The Man Who Walked Around the World . 16 December 2017 . BBH New York . Vimeo.
  16. Web site: 17 July 2017 . A Visual History of Johnnie Walker's Striding Man Logo . 16 December 2017 . vinepair.com.
  17. Web site: Johnnie Walker White Label – Bot.~1900 . 16 December 2017 . www.thewhiskyexchange.com.
  18. Web site: 14 August 2017 . LUDICROUS COMMENTS ON SCOTCH WHISKY . 16 December 2017 . noelonwhisky.blogspot.in.
  19. Web site: Mortlach History – Mortlach Whisky – Malts . 16 December 2017 . www.malts.com.
  20. Web site: Johnny Walker – History . 12 December 2014 . Specialty Drinks Limited . First World War; ... White Label is discontinued as the Johnnie Walker brand moves upmarket.
  21. Web site: Expert Liquor Recommendations – Distiller . 16 December 2017 . Distiller – The Liquor Expert.
  22. Web site: Reports on 'end of Johnnie Walker' completely false: Diageo – Indian Express . 16 December 2017 . archive.indianexpress.com.
  23. News: 9 September 2009 . Johnnie Walker jobs plan rejected . BBC News . 7 May 2010.
  24. Johnnie Walker whisky plant closes in Kilmarnock . 23 March 2012 . 7 August 2012 . BBC News.
  25. News: 13 July 2020 . Johnnie Walker whisky to be sold in paper bottles . en-GB . BBC News . 16 September 2020.
  26. Web site: An Enlightening Q&A With Johnnie Walker's First Female Master Blender . 31 December 2022 . InsideHook . en-US.
  27. Web site: Johnnie Walker Appoints Its First-Ever Female Master Blender . 31 December 2022 . Food & Wine . en.
  28. Web site: Sargent . Joshua . 6 April 2021 . Johnnie Walker sent me some nice sipping scotch so I drank it in the park with my friends . 31 December 2022 . SFGATE . en-US.
  29. Web site: 18 September 2013 . Whisky Notes: Johnnie Walker Red Label vs. Johnnie Walker Black Label . Ruben Luyten for Whisky Notes.
  30. Web site: whisky.com . Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky . 16 December 2017 . www.clubwhisky.com.
  31. Web site: Johnnie Walker Red Label . John Walker and Sons.
  32. Web site: Scotch Whisky Reg Guidance .
  33. Web site: 18 September 2013 . Whisky Notes: Johnnie Walker Red Label vs. Johnnie Walker Black Label: Johnnie Walker Red Label (40%, OB +/- 2013) . Ruben Luyten for Whisky Notes.
  34. Web site: Johnnie Walker Red Label : The Whisky Exchange . 16 December 2017 . www.thewhiskyexchange.com.
  35. Web site: The Home of Johnnie Walker | Blended Scotch Whisky . 31 December 2022 . www.johnniewalker.com . en.
  36. Web site: Johnnie Walker Double Black : The Whisky Exchange . 16 December 2017 . www.thewhiskyexchange.com.
  37. News: Miller . Jared T. . 10 May 2013 . Johnnie Walker adds Double Black to whisky line . . 27 May 2013.
  38. Web site: Eats . Serious . What Is the Difference Between Single Malt and Blended Whisky? . 16 December 2017 . drinks.seriouseats.com.
  39. Web site: 16 January 2012 . Johnnie Walker Green Discontinued . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121004091712/http://scotch-tasting-bums.com/Blog,_Year_2/Entries/2012/1/16_Johnnie_Walker_Green_15-Year_Old_Walks_Off_Into_The_Sunset.html . 4 October 2012 . 29 November 2012 . www.scotch-tasting-bums.com.
  40. Web site: Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old . The Whisky Exchange.
  41. Web site: Dominic . Roskrow . Dominic Roskrow's Blog . The Whisky Tasting Club – UK.
  42. Web site: Johnnie Walker Green Label returns – Scotch Whisky . 16 December 2017 . scotchwhisky.com.
  43. Web site: Johnnie Walker Gold Label The Centenary Blend 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky (700ml) – Blended Scotch Whisky . 16 December 2017 . www.nicks.com.au.
  44. Web site: 1 November 2013 . Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 vs. Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve . 16 December 2017 . drinkspirits.com.
  45. Web site: Johnnie Walker Platinum given new identity – Scotch Whisky . 16 December 2017 . scotchwhisky.com.
  46. Web site: Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18-Year Old. 22 March 2023.
  47. Web site: Johnnie Walker Blue Scotland Scotch 750 mL . 3 November 2012 . Wineanthology.com.
  48. Web site: Bottle King Largest New Jersey Retailer of Wine, Beer and Spirits . 16 December 2017 . bottleking.com.
  49. Web site: 15 April 2015 . Bloom redraws Johnnie Walker's 'Striding Man' . 10 January 2018 . www.designweek.co.uk.
  50. Web site: Robert Carlyle Italia . 8 November 2013 . Robert Carlyle – Johnnie Walker – The Man Who Walked Around The World [SUB ITA] ]. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140817070948/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzbYLYSof1A . 17 August 2014 . 16 December 2017 . YouTube.
  51. Web site: 30 July 2011 . Johnnie Walker: History & Trivia . 16 December 2017 . the quizzers.wordpress.com.
  52. Web site: Robert Carlyle Italia . 8 November 2013 . Robert Carlyle – Johnnie Walker – The Man Who Walked Around The World [SUB ITA] ]. live . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/fZ6aiVg2qVk . 17 November 2021 . 16 December 2017 . YouTube. Another YouTube link.
  53. Web site: 2 April 2015 . Johnnie Walker's Johnny Drama Blend Cool Material . 12 June 2022 . coolmaterial.com . en-US.
  54. Web site: Joliat . Colin . 1 April 2015 . Johnny Drama Whisky – Entourage Character Gets His Own Johnnie Walker Blend . 12 June 2022 . Boozist . en-US.
  55. Web site: Carruthers . Nicola . 2 October 2018 . Johnnie Walker unveils White Walker Scotch whisky . 3 January 2019 . The Spirits Business.
  56. News: Snider . Mark . 1 October 2018 . Whisky is coming: 'Game of Thrones' gets its own White Walker scotch whisky, line of single malts . . 3 January 2019.
  57. Web site: Rense . Sarah . 27 August 2019 . Johnnie Walker's New 'Game of Thrones' Scotch Will You Remind You How Mad the Finale Made You . Esquire.
  58. Web site: Proof66.com Summary of Green Label Awards . 16 October 2012 . 5 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121005160006/http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/johnnie-walker-green-label-scotch.html . dead .
  59. Web site: Proof66.com Summary of Gold Label Awards . 16 October 2012 . 6 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121006091901/http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/johnnie-walker-gold-label-scotch.html . dead .
  60. Web site: Proof66.com Website . 16 October 2012 . 19 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151119182132/http://www.proof66.com/search.php?keywords=johnnie+walker&key_search=Y&x=0&y=0 . dead .
  61. Web site: Marc Guison . 8 February 2012 . Awards . 3 November 2012 . Slideshare.net.
  62. Web site: World Whiskies Awards 2018 – Winners . 5 October 2018 . www.worldwhiskiesawards.com . en-UK.
  63. Web site: 18 September 2014 . Johnnie Walker becomes the Official Whisky Of Formula 1 . 4 December 2017 . formula1.com.
  64. Web site: Formula 1 2018 Johnnie Walker Belgian Grand Prix - Race Result . 2024-07-31 . Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website .
  65. Web site: europeantour.com . Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles plans for the future – European Tour . 16 December 2017 . www.europeantour.com.
  66. News: Tovey . Alan . 1 July 2015 . Diageo sells golf's Gleneagles hotel as it focuses on core business . live . subscription . 16 December 2017 . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/leisure/11710100/Diageo-sells-golfs-Gleneagles-hotel-as-it-focuses-on-core-business.html . 12 January 2022 . www.telegraph.co.uk.
  67. News: 28 January 2015 . How to drink like Winston Churchill . The Telegraph . live . subscription . 31 January 2018 . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/winston-churchill/11374144/How-to-drink-like-Winston-Churchill.html . 12 January 2022.
  68. Brown . Craig . 21 March 2012 . Christopher Hitchens's Diary . Vanity Fair . 3 November 2012.
  69. Web site: Famous whisky drinkers: Joe Namath Scotch Whisky . 2024-05-08 . scotchwhisky.com . en-GB.
  70. Book: Small, Melvin . A Companion to Richard M. Nixon . Wiley-Blackwell . 2011 . 978-1-4443-3017-5 . Oxford.
  71. Web site: Johnnie Walker Blue Label . 16 December 2017 . www.tastersguide.com . 26 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181226084424/http://www.tastersguide.com/index.php/component/agorapro/default-topic/545-johnnie-walker-blue-label?Itemid=0 . dead .
  72. Web site: Black Label Society – metalinside . 16 December 2017 . www.metalinside.de.
  73. Web site: Andrzej Pilipiuk Życie i twórczość Artysta . 7 May 2019 . Culture.pl . en.
  74. Web site: Alindahao . Karla . 12 September 2017 . Whisky of the Future: Johnnie Walker's Limited-Edition 'Blade Runner 2049' Release Is Here . 3 January 2021 . Forbes.

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