🥃 Johnnie Walker
Scottish blended whisky owned by Diageo; the story starts with John Walker's shop in Kilmarnock, opened in 1820. Blended Scotch combines malt and grain whiskies, each aged at least 3 years, at 40% ABV (80 proof) or more.
Johnnie Walker is the best-known name in blended Scotch whisky, a brand owned by the British company Diageo. Its story begins in 1820 in Kilmarnock, in western Scotland, where John Walker opened a shop. According to Diageo, the brand is enjoyed today in more than 180 countries.
The shop on Sandbed Street sold groceries, wine and spirits. According to Diageo, the founder's son Alexander Walker introduced the slanted label, and in 1908 his son commissioned an artist to draw the “Striding Man”, which became the brand's emblem. East Ayrshire Council dates the Red Label and Black Label to 1910. In 1893 John Walker & Sons bought the Cardhu distillery in Speyside.
Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, blended Scotch whisky is a mixture of one or more single malt whiskies and one or more single grain whiskies. Every component is distilled in Scotland and aged there for at least three years in oak casks, and the whisky is at least 40% ABV (80 proof) in the bottle. If an age is stated, it is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend.
The core range includes Red Label, Black Label (12 years), Double Black, Green Label, a blended malt without grain whisky, Gold Label Reserve and Blue Label. In 2021 the brand's visitor centre, Johnnie Walker Princes Street, opened in Edinburgh.
Why it matters to you. The label colour is a product name, not an official category: only the number on the bottle guarantees age, and it refers to the youngest whisky. Green Label is a different type of Scotch, without grain whisky, so do not confuse it with the blends. Look for the words “Blended Scotch Whisky” or “Blended Malt Scotch Whisky” on the label. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1820: John Walker's shop in Kilmarnock (Scotland) |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (Blended Scotch / Blended Malt Scotch Whisky) |
| Raw material | Scottish single malt and single grain whiskies |
| Cask type | oak casks |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in Scotland; Black Label: at least 12 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | at least 40% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Johnnie Walker → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Diageo
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Single Grain Scotch Whisky
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🥃 Speyside whisky, 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Ballantine's, 🥃 Chivas Regal, 🥃 Chivas Regal, 🥃 Ballantine's, 🥃 Bushmills, 🥃 Caol Ila, 🥃 Cutty Sark, 🥃 Jameson, 🥃 The Famous Grouse
and 49 more
🥃 The Glenlivet, 🥃 Tullamore Dew, 🥃 Vat 69, 🥃 Cutty Sark, 🥃 Vat 69, 🥃 Auchentoshan, 🥃 Black & White, 🥃 Cardhu, 🥃 Glenkinchie, 🥃 Monkey Shoulder (also a blend, but with grain whisky in it; Monkey Shoulder is all-malt; Johnnie Walker is owned by Diageo), 🥃 J&B, 🥃 Teacher's, 🥃 Dewar's, 🥃 Dalwhinnie, 🥃 White Horse, 🥃 Bowmore, 🥃 Grant's, 🥃 Yamazaki, 🥃 Oban, 🥃 Royal Stag, 🥃 100 Pipers, 🥃 Bell's, 🥃 Clynelish, 🥃 Black Dog, 🥃 Mortlach, 🥃 Haig, 🥃 Chivas Regal 12 Year Old, 🥃 Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature, 🥃 Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, 🥃 Chivas Regal Extra 13, 🥃 Ballantine's Finest, 🥃 Crown Royal Fine De Luxe, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood 12, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood 8, 🥃 Grant's Triple Wood, 🥃 Dewar's White Label, 🥃 McDowell's No.1, 🥃 Buchanan's, 🥃 Blenders Pride, 🥃 Royal Challenge, 🥃 Benrinnes, 🥃 Royal Lochnagar, 🥃 Antiquity, 🥃 Auchroisk, 🥃 Dailuaine, 🥃 Mortlach 12 Wee Witchie, 🥃 Haig Gold Label, 🥃 Blending, 🥃 Cardhu 12 Year Old - In other topics
- 🍷 Blend
Frequently asked questions
Is Johnnie Walker made at a single distillery?
No. Blended Scotch by definition combines malt and grain whiskies. The Walkers bought the Cardhu distillery in Speyside in 1893.
What does the number on Black Label mean under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009?
An age statement is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend; for Black Label that is 12 years.
What is the minimum strength of blended Scotch, and what is the US proof?
At least 40% ABV, which is 80 proof.
Where does the Striding Man on the label come from?
According to Diageo, a grandson of the founder commissioned an artist to draw it in 1908.
Who owns the brand?
The British company Diageo.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden vessel made of oak staves in which wine matures, picks up new aromas and slowly takes in air.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and yeast, distilled in pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% ABV (80 proof in the US) or more. Not the same as single cask.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🧑🤝🧑 British — People of Great Britain; their protected West Country Cheddar matures for at least 9 months, and tea is drunk with milk.
Similar
🥃 Chivas Regal · 🥃 Ballantine's · 🥃 Strathisla · 🥃 Grant's · 🥃 Cardhu · 🥃 Vat 69
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
What it includes
Sources
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), regs. 3, 8, 12 (Blended Scotch Whisky, age statements)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, reg. 3: definition of Scotch Whisky and its categories
- Diageo: Johnnie Walker — brand explorer (1820 grocer's shop, slanted label, Striding Man 1908, 180+ countries, Princes Street 2021)
- Diageo press release 2018: Johnnie Walker (1893, John Walker & Sons purchased the Cardhu distillery)
- Johnnie Walker: Black Label (12 years, 40% ABV)
- East Ayrshire Council: Johnnie Walker (1820 shop in Sandbed Street, Kilmarnock; Red and Black Label)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)