![]() ![]() In 1865, Alec created Johnnie Walker's first commercial blend and called it Old Highland Whisky, before registering it as such in 1867. Thanks to Alec's business acumen, sales of Walker's Kilmarnock reached 100,000 gallons (450,000 litres) per year by 1862. One major factor in his favour was the arrival of a railway in Kilmarnock, carrying goods to merchant ships travelling the world. This also allowed consumers to identify it at a distance. The other identifying characteristic of the Johnnie Walker bottle was – and still is – the label, which, since that year, is applied at an angle of 24 degrees upwards left to right and allows text to be made larger and more visible. This meant more bottles fitting the same space and fewer broken bottles. Īlexander Walker had introduced the brand's signature square bottle in 1860. Andrew Usher of Edinburgh, was the first to produce a blended whisky, but the Walkers followed in due course. Blended Scotch whisky, lighter and sweeter in character, was more accessible, and much more marketable to a wider audience. The Spirits Act 1860 legalised the blending of grain whiskies with malt whiskies and ushered in the modern era of blended Scotch whisky. The brand became popular, but after Walker's death it was his son Alexander ‘Alec’ Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the whisky as a favoured brand. Alexander Walker, son of John Walker, inherited the business following his father's death. He began using his name on labels years later, selling a blended malt as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky. They were sold as made-to-order whiskies, blended to meet specific customer requirements, because he did not have any brand of his own. Since blending of grain whiskies with malt whiskies was still banned, he sold both blended malt whiskies and grain whiskies. In short order, he switched to dealing mainly in whisky. By 1825, Walker, a teetotaller, was selling spirits, including rum, brandy, gin, and whisky. The Excise Act 1823 relaxed strict laws on distillation of whisky and reduced, by a considerable amount, the extremely heavy taxes on the distillation and sale of whisky. Walker managed the grocery, wine, and spirits segment as a teenager in 1820. Their trustees invested the proceeds, £417, in an Italian warehouse, grocery, and wine and spirits shop on the High Street in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. His farmer father died in 1819, and the family sold the farm. History Johnnie Walker was founded in Kilmarnock and continued to be produced and bottled there until 2012. ![]() It is the world's highest selling Scotch whisky, sold in almost every country, with annual sales of the equivalent of over 223.7 million 700 mL (25 imp fl oz 24 US fl oz) bottles in 2016. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. ![]()
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