Johnnie Walker Scotch WhiskeyJohnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch Johnnie Walker Green Label - Malt Scotch Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old Scotch Johnnie walker Black-Japan
Johnnie Walker Creating
Johnnie WalkerFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Johnnie Walker (disambiguation).
Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch Whisky owned by Diageo and originated in Kilmarnock,Ayrshire, It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the world, sold in almost every country with yearly sales of over 130 million bottles.[1] HistoryOriginally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the Johnnie Walker brand is a legacy left byJohn '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 scotch 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. [2] Prior to 1860 it was illegal to sell blended whisky.[3] During that time John Walker sold a number of whiskies - 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. This meant fewer broken bottles and more bottles fitting the same space. The other identifying characteristic of the bottle is the label, which is applied at an angle of 24 degrees. The angled label means the text on the label could be made larger and more visible.[4] 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 to this day, in honor to the founder, and was given the same name. Johnnie Walker White was dropped during World War I. 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 was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997. Johnnie Walker is no longer blended in Kilmarnock, and has not been for many years. The historic bonded warehouses and company offices (now local authority) can still be seen in Strand Street and John Finnie Street. On 1 July 2009, Bryan Donaghey, Diageo Managing Director for Global Supply Scotland, announced that Diageo intended to cease production at the historic plant in Kilmarnock. Under a restructuring programme across Scotland, production would be moved from the brand's original home to Diageo plants in Leven, Fife and Shieldhall, Glasgow. The Johnnie Walker plant, the largest employer in the town of Kilmarnock, is intended to close its doors by the end of 2011. News of the planned closure has had widespread media attention and condemnation from MPs, celebrities, as well as the townsfolk of Kilmarnock and whisky drinkers all around the world. Following the decision, a public campaign started to persuade Diageo as a company to reverse this decision. However on 9 September 2009 Diageo stated that they intended to press ahead with the move away from Kilmarnock and that the matter was "closed".[5] BlendsFor most of its history Johnnie Walker only offered a few blends. In recent years there have been several special and limited bottlings. Standard blends
Black Label, Limited edition for team McLaren Mercedes
Black Label, standard US edition in 750mL Bottle Johnnie Walker Swing
Special/limited bottlings
(every ~ $34)
is more smoky than Johnnie Walker Black Label.
amounts (~$43)
amounts in the year 2000.(~$130 )
bottles, hence the name of this blend.
golden label. 86.8 proof.
anniversary of the granting of burgh status to Kilmarnock. Released in 1992 in very limited amounts. (~$850)
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 $3,599.99 a bottle.[1]
MarketingEvery type of Johnnie Walker scotch has a label colour as previously noted, except for the aforementioned Swing label. The purpose is to denote the different type of scotch and to position them to be used for different occasions. For example, Johnnie Walker Blue Label is rare and expensive, and so it is intended to be used for special occasions.
Black Label, the most popular blend of Johnnie Walker, US edition in 750 ml bottle A key feature of every bottle of Johnnie Walker scotch is the Striding Man logo. It was created in 190 8 by an illustrator named Tom Browne to be a likeness of John Walker in traditional attire. In the logo, the man is walking forward, which Diageo says symbolises forward thinking and the pursuit for excellence. Diageo has created "The Striding Man Society" which is a members club for Johnnie Walker drinkers (Striding Man Society). Another key aspect of its marketing is the slanted label. This was an advertising tool developed by Alexander Walker who thought it would help his bottles stand out on the shelf. Each Label is angled at exactly 24 degrees.[10] In 2009 the advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty created a new short film, starring Robert Carlyleand called The Man Who Walked Around the World, which outlined the history of the Johnnie Walker brand.[4] AccoladesJohnnie Walker spirits have generally received strong scores at international Spirit ratingscompetitions and from liquor review bodies. The Green Label, for example, received an extraordinary string of three double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition between 2005 and 2007.[11] The Gold Label received double gold medals from the San Francisco competition in 2008 and 2009 and won a gold in 2010.[12] 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).[13] SponsorshipsJohnnie Walker sponsors
In popular cultureJohnnie Walker whisky appears in fiction often, and Blue label is often used as an example of high-end scotch. The most notable example-in which the whisky was an unusually notable part of the story-is Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the Shore where 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. This character is also a reference to real-life Joni Waka, the director of A.R.T. (Artist Residency Tokyo). The Man From Earth used a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green after failing to procure the Blue Label. Indian actor Johnny Walker took his screen name after performing in the role of a drunk man. Swedish progressive rock band Agents Of Mercy feature a track titled "Meet Johnnie Walker" on their 2010 release Dramarama. In The West Wing episode Bartlet for America there is a flash back in which Leo McGarry (a recovering alcholic) falls off the wagon after being offered a glass of Blue Label. However, when he later tells the tale he inaccurately claims that, while fine whisky is aged 12 years, Johnny Walker Blue is aged 60 years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
