Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker
Type Scotch Whisky
Manufacturer Diageo
Country of origin Kilmarnock, Scotland
Introduced 1820: Grocery store
1865: Scotch blending
Discontinued White Label
Variants

Red Label, Black Label, Swing, Green Label, Gold Label, Blue Label,

Blue Label King George V, The John Walker
Related products Ballantine's, Buchanan's, Chivas Regal, Cutty Sark, Dewar's, Vat 69

Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch Whisky owned by Diageo and originated in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.

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]

Contents

History

Originally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the Johnnie Walker 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 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 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 to 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 honour of the founder, and 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, and townsfolk of Kilmarnock alike and savvy whisky drinkers all around the world. Following the decision, a public campaign was waged to try to persuade Diageo 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]

Blends

For most of its history Johnnie Walker only offered a few blends. In recent years there have been several special and limited bottlings.

Standard blends

Johnnie Walker blends, by years of production, and from least expensive to most expensive.
Age 1865–1905 1906–1908 1909–1911 1912–1931 1932–1991 1992–1996 1997— Present
young
(blended)		 Old Highland Johnnie Walker
White Label		 Johnnie Walker
Premix / One
none given
(blended)		 Special
Old Highland		 Johnnie Walker
Red Label
12
(blended)		 Walker’s
Old Highland		 Extra Special
Old Highland		 Johnnie Walker
Black Label
none given[6]
(blended)		 Johnnie Walker
Swing
15
(blended malt)		 Johnnie Walker
Green Label
15/18
(blended malt)		 Johnnie Walker
Gold Label
none given
(blended malt)		 Johnnie Walker
Blue Label

Gallery

Special/limited bottlings

Marketing

Every 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.

A key feature of every bottle of Johnnie Walker scotch is the Striding Man logo. It was created in 1908 by illustrator 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 of excellence. Diageo has created "The Striding Man Society"[13] which is a members club for Johnnie Walker drinkers.

Another key aspect of its marketing is the slanted label, which is angled at exactly 24 degrees. This was an advertising tool developed by Alexander Walker who thought it would help his bottles stand out on the shelf.[14]

In 2009 the advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty created a new short film, starring Robert Carlyle and called The Man Who Walked Around the World, which outlined the history of the Johnnie Walker brand.[4]

Accolades

Johnnie Walker spirits have generally received strong scores at international Spirit ratings competitions 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.[15] The Gold Label received double gold medals from the San Francisco competition in 2008 and 2009 and won a gold in 2010.[16] 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).[17]

Sponsorships

Johnnie Walker sponsors

References

  1. ^ Not Available
  2. ^ Cigaraficionado.com
  3. ^ MacLean, Charles. Scotch Whisky: A Liquid History. ©2003 Charles MacLean & Cassell Illustrated. London, England. (ISBN 1-84403-078-4)
  4. ^ a b 2009 promotional film: The Man Who Walked Around the World
  5. ^ "Johnnie Walker jobs plan rejected". BBC News. September 9, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8246010.stm. Retrieved May 7, 2010. 
  6. ^ a b One Sweet Swing | Travel + Leisure Golf
  7. ^ Mixing use per http://us.johnniewalker.com
  8. ^ Manchester, William (October 1988) [1988]. "The Lion Caged". The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932–1940 (Revised ed.). p 10: Little, Brown and Co.. pp. 756. ISBN 0316545120. 
  9. ^ Weeklystandard.com
  10. ^ http://fora.tv/2009/07/09/Axis_of_Evil_Christopher_Hitchens
  11. ^ http://www.wineanthology.com/p-2663-johnnie-walker-blue.aspx
  12. ^ a b Johnniewalker.com
  13. ^ Johniewalker.com
  14. ^ Johnniewalker
  15. ^ "Proof66.com Summary of Green Label Awards". http://www.proof66.com/single_display.asp?id=343. Retrieved 2010-10-15. 
  16. ^ "Proof66.com Summary of Gold Label Awards". http://www.proof66.com/single_display.asp?id=344. Retrieved 2010-10-15. 
  17. ^ "Proof66.com Website". http://www.proof66.com/display.asp?frm=y&t=whiskey&sel=Whiskey&att=&tab=ratings&varsort=aggScore_hl. Retrieved 2010-10-15. 

Further reading

External links