Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker is the world's leading scotch whisky

Every Johnnie Walker blend starts with the selection and malting of the finest barley crops. At the distillery, the malted barley is ground into rough flour before being ‘mashed’. This involves passing hot water through the barley to extract a sweet liquid. The liquid is cooled, yeast is added and the mixture is left to ferment.

From this rough form, the liquid is pot distilled. The alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, releasing the alcohol vapors first. These produce a strong liquid, called ‘low wine’, which is distilled again and put into oak casks to mature.

Maturation is an essential element in the product’s quality. Newly made whisky must, by law, be matured for at least three years. Johnnie Walker Black Label whiskies mature for a minimum of 12 years. Once sufficiently matured, Johnnie Walker is created by blending up to 40 of the finest aged single malts and grain whiskies. The time-honoured tradition of creating these renowned whiskies is carried out by trained blenders, the only ones to know exactly what goes into each bottle of Johnnie Walker.

The history behind Johnnie Walker

1805
Birth of John Walker at Toddriggs Farm, Ayrshire, Scotland

1820
John Walker’s business opens in Kilmarnock, Scotland

1870
Square bottle introduced

1886
John Walker & Sons converted to a limited liability business

1893
Walkers acquire Cardow Distillery

1909
Johnnie Walker Red and Black label introduced

1909
Tom Browne draws the first Striding Man figure

1920
Amidst post war austerity the business celebrates its centenary

1970
John Walker & Sons celebrate 150th Anniversary

1996 Johnnie Walker Red Label and Black Label win gold medals at the International Wine and Spirits Competition

1999 Launch of the ‘Keep Walking’ advertising campaign, the first global campaign for the brand

2003 Re-launch of Johnnie Walker Red Label