Johnnie Walker celebrates 200 years of Scotch with 4 limited editions
The whisky giant wasn't going to let the occasion pass without fanfare
This year marks Johnnie Walker's 200th in the whisky business, a huge milestone and one it has decided to embrace.
The brand started when John Walker's father died, in 1820, and the family were forced to sell their farm. They used the income from this to buy a number of shops on Kilmarnock High Street, in Scotland. One of which was a wine and spirit shop. Walker started out making a number of different spirits, but the popularity of the whisky he sold became such that he was earning a good amount from making it buy-to-order.
As a result, he later reverted to a whisky only company and the rest, as they say, is history!
Now, 200 years on, the brand is one of the biggest in the world, selling whisky to almost every country, to the tune of over 150 million litres per year. If you see someone drinking whisky on TV, it's probably Johnnie's. If you ask for a whisky in a bar, they'll probably offer you Johnnie's.
So it's only right that they celebrate their illustrious history. To mark the occasion, they have released a limited edition, celebratory bottle of their flagship, Blue Label, and three brand new blends.
John Williams, Diageo global Scotch director said, "We wanted to mark our 200-year journey with the launch of these four exclusive limited editions – they're a celebration of where we've come from but, more than that, they are each expressions of what's possible today and into tomorrow, and that's exciting.
"John's spark, vision and entrepreneurial fire were the impetus to growing the John Walker name, our business and ultimately a new future for Scotch whisky. This year we're celebrating the steps he first took – steps that have inspired generations of our whisky makers and are at the heart of everything we do today and will do tomorrow."
JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL 200TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION DESIGN
Their premium blend, this has been created to replicate and celebrate some of the earlier blends, those which the company was founded on. This collectors edition of the well known classic comes in a bottle illustrated with some of the defining moments of the brand, and some of the cities that have played a role in their success.
JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL LEGENDARY EIGHT
This limited edition Blue Label celebrated the 200th anniversary by blending together whiskies from the 8 distilleries around in the 1820s.
JOHN WALKER & SONS CELEBRATORY BLEND
This new blend is inspired by their landmark Old Highland whisky, released in the 1860s. It brings together flavours from the distilleries in operation at the time of its launch.
JOHN WALKER & SONS BICENTENARY BLEND
This celebratory blend brings together the most prestigious flavours from the company's history, from the exotic flavours of the early days in Kilmarnock, to the slight differences seen at distilleries down the Scottish coast. Some included are from ghost distilleries, including the soon to be re-opened Port Ellen. Each included is aged at least 28 years.
Johnnie Walker master blender, Jim Beveridge, said, "Each of these exclusive releases bring a fresh perspective to our 200th anniversary story and are the perfect way to celebrate this moment for Johnnie Walker. It feels very apt to be announcing them this week to coincide with John Walker's birthday."
Join In
Comments (5)
I live just 25 minutes from Kilmarnock where the story of Johnny Walker began .
Ouch. A quick search shows the Legendary Eight, the one I'm most interested in, selling for an average of $300 a bottle. That'll be a pass for me.