When it comes to Johnnie Walkerwe instantly imagine that famous amber-colored alcoholic beverage: whisky. But Johnnie Walker is above all a story, a long journey illustrating the great ambition of a 19th-century grocer. The range is broken down into “labels”, including Gold Label, Blue Label and Black Label, which we were able to taste in different utensils, and in different ways to observe the alteration of flavors, tastes and smells. A brief history, in a few words:
Johnnie is a Scottish grocer whose inspiration was born in the den of his grocery store in Kilmarnock, between the vivid olfactory and aromatic spectrums surrounding him. At the time, grocers were considered experts in taste, and distributed whisky, which happened to be one of the staples of Scottish grocery stores at the time. But whisky is a stiff, white spirit with very little aging, and Johnnie Walker’s clientele, accustomed to quality products, were looking for exceptional products and expected a different kind of whisky from John Walker. So John Walker tested cask after cask, carefully selecting those he considered to be the best. He then imposed a standard of 2 years’ ageing, which became 3 years in 1916, in order to be able to call the drink “whisky”.
A century earlier, Johnnie Walker had understood the value of aging, selecting whiskies and aging them to sell them at their peak. At the time, distilleries didn’t have regular, high-quality production, so Johnnie decided to buy some, including the famous Cardhu distillery. His specialty? Blending whiskies from different regions, origins and ages, as he was already doing with tea. His aim was to produce a unique, high-quality, consistent product. He developed the iconic square bottle: more solid, and taking up less space for export. His whisky was adulated by the artists of the day, and he was, among others, the official supplier to King King George V. His slogan “keep walking” perfectly reflected his success and ambition. Johnnie Walker became a worldwide symbol of success, even though he went against the grain, breaking the rules and following his instincts. Despite what seemed a huge innovation at the time, his art touched people all over the world. Today, it has not aged a day, and has never been affected by conventional wisdom.
At this tasting session, we were able to taste the Black Label and its complexity, which was the favourite of Winston Churchill’s favoritethe Blue Label, the rarest and most exclusive of the blends, voted best in the world the year after its creation, and the Gold Label, the smoothest of the range, with notes of honey and chocolate.
To this day, Johnnie Walker’s name is used as an emblem of success by artists such as
Placebo
,
Lady Gaga
,
Rick Ross
or even
Elliott Smith
.
You can register online for a private, in-home The Art of Black tasting session to experience the quality of the world of Johnnie Walker Whiskies (free initiation).
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
