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  • History of Johnnie Walker

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    John Walker started selling whisky in his grocery shop in Scotland in the 19th century, and his descendants established the brand as popular. His grandson introduced the iconic square bottle design in 1870 and rebranded the whisky as Johnnie Walker in 1908, adding the Striding Man logo. The company grew and was acquired by other alcohol producers, but production was moved out of Kilmarnock, Scotland, the brand's original home, in 2012, despite local opposition.

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    John Walker started selling whisky in his grocery shop in Scotland in the 19th century, and his descendants established the brand as popular. His grandson introduced the iconic square bottle design in 1870 and rebranded the whisky as Johnnie Walker in 1908, adding the Striding Man logo. The company grew and was acquired by other alcohol producers, but production was moved out of Kilmarnock, Scotland, the brand's original home, in 2012, despite local opposition.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    322 views2 pages

    History of Johnnie Walker

    Uploaded by

    jack appleseed
    John Walker started selling whisky in his grocery shop in Scotland in the 19th century, and his descendants established the brand as popular. His grandson introduced the iconic square bottle design in 1870 and rebranded the whisky as Johnnie Walker in 1908, adding the Striding Man logo. The company grew and was acquired by other alcohol producers, but production was moved out of Kilmarnock, Scotland, the brand's original home, in 2012, despite local opposition.

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    History of Johnnie Walker

    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 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.[2]
    Prior to 1860, it was illegal to sell blended whisky.[where?][3] During that time John Walker sold a
    number of whiskiesnotably 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 more bottles fitting the
    same space and resulted in fewer broken bottles. The other identifying characteristic of the
    Johnnie Walker bottle is the label, which is applied at an angle of 24 degrees and allows text to
    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 rebranding of sorts. The whisky was renamed from Walker's Kilmarnock Whiskies to Johnnie
    Walker Whisky. In addition, the slogan, "Born 1820Still going Strong!" was created, along with
    the Striding Man logo, a figure used in their advertisements to this day, created by illustrator Tom
    Browne, in honour of the founder, and given the same name.
    Johnnie Walker White was dropped during World War I.[5] 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 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 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.
    News of the planned closure had widespread media attention and condemnation. 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".[6]
    The Johnnie Walker plant, the largest employer in the town of Kilmarnock, closed its doors in
    March 2012.[7]

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