Who is Johnnie Walker?

When I was growing up sitting round the TV watching Formula one was regular sunday, one thing I had always noticed was at every race there was advertising boards but one in particular always caught my eye, Johnnie Walker. I always asked my Dad who Johnnie Walker was but he never gave me an answer, he used to just make a joke but I’d never get an answer, maybe he was protecting me from alcohol. But now I know who Johnnie Walker is and what a smart man he was!

Johnnie was a farm lad, his father died in 1819 when he was young, within a year the family farm was sold and with the money Johnnie opened a grocers store in the thriving town of Kilmarnock. Back in those days grocers also stocked single malt whisky but they were never consistent, so Johnnie decided to blend them together giving them a consistently great tasting whisky. It proved to be an extremely popular addition on his shelves.

When Johnnie died in 1857 he left his business to his son Alexander. At the same time Britain was in the middle of the Industrial Revolution which changed everything, the railway had arrived in Kilmarnock which gave Alexander the change to ship his product all over the world.

In 1867 Alexander launched Johnnie Walkers first commercial blend ‘Old Highland Whisky’ he then engaged with boat captains to take his whisky with them wherever they went and his whisky quickly became global. Due to the big waves Alexander decided to use the famous square bottle so the whisky would be intact when it arrived, soon after he added the label at exactly 20 degrees to make it stand out from the crowd.

In 1889 Alexander handed the business to his sons, Alexander II and George. Together in 1909 they renamed their whiskies after the colour of the label. Johnnie Walker Red Label and Johnnie Walker Black Label. It was around this time that a young illustater by the name of Tom Browne sketched the striding man that we all know today.

By the end of the 20th century Johnnie Walker became a well known brand all over the world. A very good feat for a young farmer lad

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Written by Oliver Partington - 24/02/2020