Johnnie Walker

The world’s most famous Scotch Whisky.

The origins of the Johnny Walker distillery go back to 1820, when the Scotsman John Walker opened a grocery store in the village of Kilmanrock and began crafting his own single malts to sell to his customers. In those days, the taste of whisky was highly irregular and variable, so John set out to create a whisky that was good and consistent enough so that it could be sold under his own name and with his own label.

After John Walker’s death in 1857, his son Alexader took control of the family business and began an ambitious process of commercial expansion. Connected to the port by railway and located in the heart of the UK at the outset of the Second Industrial Revolution, right in the middle of the British Century, the village of Kilmanrock provided excellent conditions for transforming a mildly successful local business into a global brand of international fame.

In 1867, Alexander released the trademark Johnny Walker square bottle to make the Johnny Walker whisky, literally and metaphorically, “stand out” of the shelf. In 1920, the prestigious illustrator Tom Browne sketched the legendary Striding Man for Alexander II and George, the grandsons of the founder, who then renamed the Johnny Walker whiskies after the label colours, Johnny Walker Red Label and Johnny Walker Black Label. In 1920, the whiskies of the Johnny Walker distillery were available in 120 countries around the globe. Nowadays, Johnny Walker is the largest and most famous Scotch whisky producer in the world.

Year of foundation: 1820
Address: 145 Princes St.
City: Edinburgh
Province: Escocia
Zip code: EH2 4BL
Country: UK
Phone number: +44 (0)1313 769 494
www.johnniewalker.com
Guided visits? Yes
Wine tourism services? No