Johnnie Walker Totally Explained

Everything about Johnnie Walker totally explained

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. It is intended for making mixed drinks. 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 favourite Scotch of Winston Churchill. 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. 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. 86 proof (Although it states on an information booklet, provided in the box, that some of the blends used are "up to 60 years old").

Further Information

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