Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker

The Johnnie Walker logo.
Type	Scotch whisky
Manufacturer	Diageo
Country of origin	Kilmarnock, Scotland
Introduced	1820: Grocery store 1865: Scotch blending
Discontinued	White Label
Proof (US)	80
Variants	Red Label, Black Label, Swing, Green Label, Gold Label, Blue Label
Related products	Chivas Regal, Cutty Sark
Website	www.johnniewalker.com/es-uy

For other uses, see Johnnie Walker (disambiguation).

Johnnie Walker is a world famous brand of Scotch whisky produced in Kilmarnock, Scotland by Diageo plc.

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.

Johnnie Walker is currently the most widely distributed brand of Scotch whisky in the world, sold in over 200 countries with yearly sales of over 120 million bottles.

History

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 it was his son Alexander Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the whisky as a widely popular brand.

Red Label

Walker died in 1857, but his legacy was assured as the Walker family developed the business and grew the Johnnie Walker brand to become world famous.

Although he gave his name to the whisky, John Walker was a far less important figure to the brand than his son, Alexander. A disastrous flood in Kilmarnock in 1852 had destroyed all of Walker’s stock, and when Alexander joined the business in 1856, he persuaded his father to abandon the narrow realm of the grocery trade and to go into wholesale trading.

At the beginning, the firm offered a range of spirits: Campbeltown whisky from the Kintyre Peninsula; whisky from the Inner Hebridean Island of Islay, with its pungent smoky flavor; patent still, or grain, whisky; and “Glenlivat” (sic), Speyside whisky. Even so, whisky sales under John Walker represented just 8 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. —Giles MacDonogh

Blends

Prior to 1860 it was illegal to blend malt and grain 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.

From 1906–1909 John’s grandsons George and Alexander II expanded the line and introduced the color names. They dropped Johnnie Walker White during World War I. In 1932, Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line.

Age	Present–1997	1996–1992	1991–1932	1931–1912	1911–1909	1908–1906	1905–1865
young (blended)					Johnnie Walker White Label	Old Highland
no age given (blended)	Johnnie Walker Red Label					Special Old Highland
12 Y.O. (blended)	Johnnie Walker Black Label					Extra Special Old Highland	Walker’s Old Highland
?? Y.O. (blended)	Johnnie Walker Swing
15 Y.O. (vatted)	Johnnie Walker Pure Malt a.k.a. “Green Label”
18 Y.O. (blended)	Johnnie Walker Gold Label
very old (blended)	Johnnie Walker Blue Label

There are currently six blends available (in order from least to most expensive – except for Swing, pricepoint unknown):

• Johnnie Walker Red Label — a premium blend of grain whisky and malt whisky, it is the best selling whisky made by Johnnie Walker and the only one marketed with mixing in mind.
• Johnnie Walker Black Label — a deluxe blend of as many as 40 whiskies, each aged at least 12 years. Anecdotally, this was the favorite Scotch of Sir Winston Churchill.
• 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 (gold & blue were based on his notes), and is very rare in the States.
• Johnnie Walker Pure Malt (a.k.a. Green Label) — a vatted malt whisky that consists of a blend of approximately 15 individual single malts, the signature malts being Talisker, Cragganmore, Linkwood, and Caol Ila – Aged 15 years.

File:Johnnie Walker.logo.jpg

• Johnnie Walker Gold Label — a rare deluxe blend of over 15 single malts that has at its heart the very rare Clynelish malt. This whisky was derived from original blending notes of Sir Alexander Walker (Alexander Walker II), grandson of the company's founder. He desired to create an exceptional blend of mature malts to commemorate Johnnie Walker's centenary. His efforts were thwarted by a shortage of these malts following WWI. In 1950 the master blender who inherited Sir Alexander's notebooks desired to concoct a blend as a tribute to him using these notes, but was likewise hampered by supply issues following WWII. Now that Johnnie Walker has secured a limited stock of the very rare mature malts required, this centenary blend is finally available in the Gold Label. – Aged 18 years. It is recommended to be served frozen for at least 24 hours in a frozen glass, best accompanied by a chocolate dessert.
• Johnnie Walker Blue Label — Johnnie Walker's ultimate blend. Every bottle is serial numbered and sold in a silk-lined box, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Although no age is declared, it is believed many of the whiskies blended are aged for 50 to 60 years. The booklet that comes with each bottle states the following:

"Johnnie Walker Blue Label is blended to recreate the authentic taste and character of some of the earliest whisky blends created in the 19th century, giving it a rich, peaty taste combined with a smooth, distinctly malty flavour that will appeal to the most expert palate.

The Blue Label blend echoes those early pioneering days, when Johnnie Walker would select a small number of whiskies in his own local shop, in order to create an outstanding blend for the specific taste of a highly valued customer. Specially selected from the finest and rarest of the Walker Reserves…

John Walker began selling whiskies in his Kilmarnock grocer's shop in 1820 and quickly established a reputation for excellence. Since then, the Johnnie Walker family of unique whiskies have become best sellers throughout the world, with an unsurpassed reputation for quality. Only the highest quality ingredients – pure Scottish spring water – so essential to the flavour, and the best malted barley, are used in the creation of the Blue Label blend. The addition of the full bodied robust whiskies of the Highlands contribute to the distinctive flavour…

To celebrate its origins, Blue Label is packaged in the traditional blue-green Walker bottle – a recast of the original – and with the now famous slanting label. In addition, the original design of the cork stopper with seal has been used for this distinctive whisky which echoes the distinguished heritage of Johnnie Walker. Supplies are strictly limited and so each bottle is individually numbered."

Popular culture

• In Haruki Murakami's novel "Kafka on the Shore" a character appears named Johnnie Walker, his attire based on the red jacket, boots, cane, bowtie and hat worn by the character in the product's logo. Johnnie Walker is extremely popular in Japan.
• George Thorogood expressed his affection for Johnnie Walker in his hit song "I Drink Alone" with the lyrics:

Well, the other night I got invited to a party,

But I stayed home instead.

Just me and my pal Johnnie Walker,

And his brothers Black and Red.

• Singer-songwriter Elliott Smith referenced the Johnnie Walker brand in the opening lines of his Oscar-nominated song "Miss Misery":

I'll fake it through the day

With some help from Johnnie Walker Red.

• The song "Closing Time" by Leonard Cohen also refers to Johnny Walker:

Ah we're drinking and we're dancing

and the band is really happening

and the Johnny Walker wisdom running high

• In an episode of The West Wing entitled "Bartlet for America", Leo McGarry, a recovering alcoholic, recounts the story of how he had a relapse on the night of the third presidential debate. During a flashback to the incident, Leo is tempted by Johnnie Walker Blue Label which was offered to him by two business executives looking to donate money to the Bartlet campaign.
• In the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Poison Whiskey" there is a reference to Johnnie Walker in the line:

The only thing that was wrong with him

was Johnnie Walker's red

he drank ole poison whiskey

'till it killed him dead

• In 2005 remake of King Kong, the character Carl Denham orders and receives a whole case of Johnnie Walker Red.
• Johnnie Walker is also a supporting sponsor of the Mclaren Formula One Team.

• In an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David receives a bottle of Johnnie Walker as a gift and is impressed by the fact that he has been given the Black label.

See also

• Johnnie Walker Classic - a golf tournament played in the Asia-Pacific region
• Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles - a golf tournament played in Scotland

External links

• Official site
• Polish collector site
• Johnie Walker Outdoor Ads

References

• Scotch Whiskey: A Liquid History by Charles MacLean. ©2003 Charles MacLean & Cassell Illustrated. ISBN 1-84403-078-4
• “Walking Tall: From Grocer to Whisky Powerhouse, Johnnie Walker’s Been Going Strong for 186 Years” by Giles MacDonogh, writing for Cigar Aficionado.