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Tag: Johnnie Walker

  • Johnnie Walker releases Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas

    Johnnie Walker releases Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas

    Johnnie Walker Blue Label needs no introduction. For 30 years it has existed as the standard in ultra-premium blended scotch. The juice is drawn from some of the finest casks in Diageo’s massive stockpile of malt and grain. Its elegant bottle, with gently sloping shoulders, is immediately recognized along the top shelf of any stylish bar or cocktail lounge. And now that bottle is about to get a special redesign in honor of the upcoming Lunar New Year. Here’s everything you need to know about the seasonal release.

    The first thing to note is that the liquid inside the bottle is, in fact, the same liquid that master blender Emma Walker and her team consistently bring to the standard Blue Label offering. In other words, you can expect a plum-like sweetness to the nose and a rich and nutty mouthfeel that promotes vanilla and pepper spice from mid-palate through the finish line. It’s a balanced expression carrying characteristics from all four major regions of scotch production: Highland, Lowland, Speyside and Islay (sorry, Campbeltown, but you’re going to have to sit this one out)

    Separating this limited edition from the standard release is its presentation. Both the bottle and its case feature colorful, vivid artistry courtesy of Shanghai-based designer Angel Chen. Across all this art a certain animal assumes center stage. And as 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, you already know who’s the star of the show.

    But there’s a touch more brand symbolism layered on top. The rabbits are depicted prancing about mountainous peaks, which Chen incorporated to echo the motto of Johnnie Walker: Keep Walking. And as a happy coincidence, the rabbit also signifies longevity in traditional Asian culture. An apt icon for the blended label which celebrated its 200th anniversary back in 2020.

    “There’s a defiant energy to my illustrations which bring to life the vibrant spirit of the rabbit as it leaps across the design,” adds Chen, who studied fashion in the prestigious Central Saint Martin College of Art of London. “It symbolizes how we need to keep moving forward, spreading goodness throughout the year to come.”

    Chen goes on to specify that she consulted with Walker when looking for inspiration. Those results are now sitting proudly on shelves nationwide, retailing for $275 a bottle. That gives you plenty of time to be ready for the gift giving traditions of the Chinese New Year, which begins on January 22nd, 2023.

    And for those seeking something different inside the bottle, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas is a sensible place to start. It’s the fifth installment in the brand’s ongoing series dedicated to shuttered distilleries. This one contains a blend of juices from the eponymous facility—which formerly sat on the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal—along with treasured liquid from Brora and Cambus. Creamy on the tongue, with a whisper of smoke in the fade, it’s currently selling for $370.

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  • Johnnie Walker launches new Ghost and Rare in Hong Kong

    Johnnie Walker launches new Ghost and Rare in Hong Kong

    Christmas is just around the corner. Get ahead on your shopping for all the nice people who have been good to you this year. If you’re looking for something classy, boozy, and rare, to give to a special someone, a quality bottle of liquid gold is always a good choice. And the good news is, starting today, you’ll be able to purchase the fifth edition of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare in Hong Kong. Give the gift of rare whiskies from one of the world’s most famous grain whisky distilleries with more than 100 years of distilling history.

    This new release marks the first Ghost and Rare expression from Johnnie Walker master blender Emma Walker following the releases of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Pittyvaich in 2021, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Glenury Royal in 2019, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Ellen 2018, and Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Brora 2017.

    Port Dundas closed its doors in 2010 and its precious and dwindling stocks of whisky can only be found in special bottlings like this latest release from Johnnie Walker. This new bottling explores the creamy, wood notes of Port Dundas blended with the vanilla and soft smoke from other ‘ghost’ whiskies of Cambus and original stocks of Brora.

    Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas (43.8% abv, 750ml) is available for $2,860,

  • Johnnie Walker toasts 200 with global experience centre in Edinburgh

    Johnnie Walker toasts 200 with global experience centre in Edinburgh

    “The story of the world’s best-selling whisky has been brought to life with flair and imagination and we have built a team which includes some of the most talented individuals in their fields,” said Barbara Smith, MD of Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

    The building serves more than 800 flavor combinations in innovative dispensation systems. Visitors can select their favorite whisky and have bottles filled directly from casks and engraved. The experiential space also houses two rooftop bars and a terrace overlooking the Edinburgh skyline.

    According to the company, it took four and a half years in the making to bring Johnnie Walker Princes Street into life. The project is part of Diageo’s US$256 million investment, the largest single investment program of its kind ever seen in Scotch whisky tourism.

    “Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a landmark investment in Scotch whisky and into Scotland and it sets a new standard for immersive visitor attractions,” said Ivan Menezes, CEO at Diageo.

    “It celebrates Scotland’s remarkable heritage, our incredible skilled whisky-makers, and looks to the future by engaging new generations of consumers from around the world in the magic of Scotch whisky.”

    The Diageo investment includes the transformation of distillery visitor experiences around Scotland, including Glenkinchie, Clynelish, Cardhu and Caol Ila – the Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Islay homes of Johnnie Walker, linked to Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

  • Johnnie Walker Manila pop up opens

    Johnnie Walker Manila pop up opens

    Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker has opened a pop-up store in Bonifacio Global City. The first Johnnie Walker pop up in the Philippines, it follows permanent Johnnie Walker Houses in cities including Singapore, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai and Seoul.

    Like the Houses, the Johnnie Walker Manila pop up is designed to immerse customers in the history, provenance, and pioneering spirit of the brand, resembling part lifestyle space and part museum and showcasing the brand’s heritage.

    The Johnnie Walker Manila pop up is located at Burgos Park. Centrestage inside is a ‘highball bar’ where guests can order various Johnnie Walker vintages, blends and cocktails.

    The space doubles as an event space, hosting ‘Johnnie Weekends’ for fans of the brand and exhibitions or shows by photographers, musicians and other artists, guest appearances by celebrated cocktail specialists, and even quiz nights.

    The Johnnie Walker Manila pop up is open from 5pm to 2am on Tuesday through Saturday until October 25, before it is relocated to other locations in Metro Manila, including Greenbelt 3 from November 18 to December 28.

    A more permanent Johnnie Walker House is under consideration for Manila.

  • Inside Singapore’s ‘invite-only’ Johnnie Walker Home

    Inside Singapore’s ‘invite-only’ Johnnie Walker Home

    It‘s a whisky enthusiast‘s dream. Johnnie Walker House is an invitation-only suite located at Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. We took a tour of the space, which hosts guests to learn, taste and purchase a variety of high-end offerings.

    The space, which opened last year, is one of 26 private suites in the world and the only one in Southeast Asia. In total, the room boasts more than $700,000 worth of whisky by retail price. One way to gain entrance is by referral.

    We build up our own network of people who might be interested and we invite them to come in,” Sam Fischer, Diageo‘s Asia president told us during a tour of the space. “We build up to people of high net worth and people of influence.”

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  • Diageo rolls out small Johnnie Walker Black Label

    Diageo rolls out small Johnnie Walker Black Label

    Diageo has launched a 20cl bottle of its Johnnie Walker Black Label as it looks to make whisky more accessible to consumers in South Korea.

    The new pack, which rolled out yesterday, follows a launch for a 20cl Johnnie Walker Red Label last October, the firm said. The 20cl bottle comes with lemon syrup and a recipe for a ‘Johnnie Lemon’ cocktail.

    “Diageo Korea has worked to promote a new drinking culture that makes whisky more accessible to local consumers in various ways,” said Diageo Korea CEO Cho Kilsoo. “Following a small format of Johnnie Walker Red launched last year, the new Johnnie Walker Black Label 20cl is expected to contribute to building a new whisky culture that enables people to enjoy whisky more casually.”

    The new product will be available through convenience stores and hypermarkets, nation-wide. Diageo said the packs will be priced at about KRW16,000 (US$13.99). Red Label packs retail at around KRW8,500.

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  • Global duty free retailing to hit US$98 billion

    Global duty free retailing to hit US$98 billion

    Global duty-free retailing is expected to reach nearly US$98 billion in revenue by 2019, according to a new study by global technology research and advisory company Technavio.

    With the expansion of low-cost airlines, many middle-class travellers are taking inexpensive holidays, a trend that has helped the Asia Pacific and Middle East emerge as the fastest-growing regions for duty-free retail marketing, says Technavio analyst Vijay Sarathi.

    He says China, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Sri Lanka were among some of the most-desired inexpensive destinations in 2014.

    “During the same period, it is estimated that international tourist inflow in APAC increased to almost 263 million travellers, and it has largely helped the market grow until 2019.”

    Just released in London, Technavio’s report, Global Duty-Free Retailing Market 2015-2019, provides an in-depth analysis of market growth in terms of revenue and emerging market trends.

    By products, the global duty-free retailing market for 2014 comprised fashion accessories and hard luxury (32.1 per cent), perfume and cosmetics (29.21 per cent), wines and spirits (16.02 per cent), tobacco (12.43 cent), and confectionery and fine food (10.25 per cent), says the report.
    It says the fashion, accessories and hard luxury segment was valued at close to $20.81 billion, with the most in-demand products including precious jewellery, briefcases, handbags and shoes. The more popular brands include Armani, Burberry, Fossil, Gucci and Michael Kors.
    Technavio researchers say Chinese travellers emerged as the largest consumers of luxury brands last year, contributing nearly 25 per cent of global revenue.
    The perfumes and cosmetics segment is one of the fastest-growing categories in the global duty-free retailing market. APAC and the Middle East are the key regions for this category, with some of the top-selling brands including Chanel, Christian Dior, Estee Lauder and Guerlain.

    With close to 21.5 per cent of revenue share in the category, L’Oreal created a division especially for duty-free stores in 2013, describing the division as “the sixth continent”. In 2014, L’Oréal launched theVichy and Kerastase brands in the duty-free retail segment in Asia, and also launched the Three-Minute Beauty program to engage with potential luxury product buyers at airports.
    The liquor category is expected to grow to $13.47 billion in 2019. In 2014, Diageo opened two Johnnie Walker Houses in duty-free shops in India and Taiwan.

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  • Johnnie Walker unveils Singapore Airlines exclusive

    Johnnie Walker unveils Singapore Airlines exclusive

    Diageo’s Johnnie Walker House has launched Johnnie Walker Blue Label The Casks Edition, a Scotch whisky and bottle design available exclusively through Singapore Airlines. The ‘richer and more intense’ Johnnie Walker Blue Label The Casks Edition is a higher strength whisky than the main line liquid, and is bottled at 55.8% ABV.

    Johnnie Walker House, the ‘international network of luxury whisky embassies’, paired the whisky with a new bottle design based on the airline’s cabin crew uniform.

    The ‘Singapore Girl’ wears a sarong kebaya, designed by French couturier Pierre Balmain in 1968. The same shade of blue is used on the Johnnie Walker Blue Label The Casks Edition bottle design, which also features the airline’s signature batik print etched in silver.

    “It brings us great pleasure to work with Singapore Airlines, a company that shares our appreciation for the contemporary but at the same time, a great respect for heritage and progress,” said Lawrence Law, global general manager for Johnnie Walker House.

    “This partnership with Singapore Airlines provides an opportunity for consumers to buy a product that they cannot find anywhere else – an example of our continuing commitment to bringing our most successful innovations to consumers within the world of travel.”

    Mr Foo Chai Woo, Singapore Airlines divisional vice president sales and marketing added: “We are proud to be able to exclusively offer our customers the opportunity to purchase this special release in-flight via Singapore Airlines KrisShop. Having our Singapore Girl’s signature sarong kebaya batik motif reproduced on the bottle of the world’s leading luxury Blended Scotch Whisky is an honour and we are thrilled to have been selected as the first Johnnie Walker House airline partner.”

    Concessionnaire DFASS’s John Garner, president Asia and Middle East, said: “We are delighted to bring this exclusive Johnnie Walker Blue Label offering to KrisShop, for Singapore Airlines passengers. This has been a fantastic collaboration with all three parties actively involved from early ideation to getting it in-flight.

    “We believe that through this strong partnership, we will be able to provide more innovative offerings to Singapore Airlines and their passengers alike.”

    Johnnie Walker Blue Label The Casks Edition is available to purchase through Singapore Airline’s inflight retail store, KrisShop, from 1 December. Customers can pre-order via www.krisshop.com/JW.

    The whisky carries an RRSP of S$378 (US$270) for the 75cl bottle.

    Diageo’s partnership with Singapore airlines follows the publication of Generation Research data which shows that the global inflight retail market declined 6.7% in the first half of 2015.

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  • Johnnie Walker leverages travel retail for Singapore Airlines partnership

    Johnnie Walker leverages travel retail for Singapore Airlines partnership

    Diageo-owned Scotch whisky Johnnie Walker Blue Label is elevating its relationship with travel retail through a collaboration with Singapore Airlines.

    The distiller’s Johnnie Walker House network of high-end whisky lounges has worked with Singapore Airlines to design a limited-edition bottle that takes cues from the airliner’s flight attendant uniforms. Travel retail is especially important for spirits brands due to duty-free pieces, and expanding that connection through special-edition bottles may further increase interest from travelers.

    Cheers in the sky
    For its collaboration, Johnnie Walker drew inspiration from Singapore Airlines’ “Singapore Girls” and their sarong kebaya uniform. The distinctive uniform, inspired by traditional fabric patterns, was designed by French couturier Pierre Balmain in 1968, and has stood the test of time to become synonymous with “luxury, heritage and excellence.”

    The lapis lazuli blue bottle has been produced in the same shade as the uniforms sported by Singapore Girls. Furthering the connection, each bottle features the airline’s batik print etched in silver on its front.

    Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s special release bottle stands out as the distillers’ Cask Edition, a richer and more intense whisky. The bottles, limited to 2,000, will be priced at $270.

    Rather than sell in a Duty Free Shopping outlet, Singapore Airlines has made the bottle exclusive to its on-board, inflight retail store KrisShop. The bottles will also be available for pre-order on the KrisShop Web site.

    JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL The Cask Edition Singapore Airlines_5
    Johnnie Walker and Singapore Airlines collaborative bottle 

    “We are proud to be able to exclusively offer our customers the opportunity to purchase this special release in-flight via Singapore Airlines KrisShop,” said Foo Chai Woo, Singapore Airlines divisional vice president sales and marketing. “Having our Singapore Girls’ signature sarong kebaya batik motif reproduced on the bottle of the world’s leading luxury blended Scotch whisky is an honor and we are thrilled to have been selected as the first Johnnie Walker House airline player.”

    Matthieu Comard, vice president of Diageo Global Travel Americas, agreed, saying, “Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Singapore Airlines and DFASS have much in common. They are progressive, award-winning brands known around the world for excellence.

    “We are proud to take this opportunity to create a special-edition with such esteemed partners in the travel retail and travel sectors,” he said. “Their commitment to continued excellence and remarkable standards of luxury are values shared by the Johnnie Walker brand.”

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