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THE CREATION OF JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD
JOHN WALKER
It
was in the year 1820 that a young man named John Walker, barely 15 years
old, inherited his own shop. His father, an Ayreshire farmer, had died the
year before and John’s trustees had invested his inheritance in a shop
that traded in groceries, wines and spirits. It was in the back room of
his store that John, one of Scotland’s pioneering whisky blenders,
experimented by mixing together whiskies from different distilleries to
suit his customers’ individual needs. He became a very successful
blender and his business grew along with his reputation. By the time of
his death, John Walker’s blends had become well known throughout the
West of Scotland.
John took care to teach his son, Alexander, the art of blending. Alexander proved to a master blender equal to his father and he created a successful blend named Johnnie Walker’s Old Highland Whisky, firmly establishing a solid reputation for the company. But it was John Walker’s grandson, Alexander II, later to become Sir Alexander Walker, who was responsible for blending Johnnie Walker Red Label and Black Label, the two brands that brought John Walker & Sons global success.
CREATION OF THE GOLD LABEL BLEND
It was in 1920 that Sir Alexander made notes in his blending book for a Johnnie Walker Centenary Blend. The whiskies that he wished to use, though not great in number, needed to be exceptionally mature. However, he was unable to create the blend he envisaged because of the shortage of such rare whiskies following the First World War.
It was not until shortly after his death in the early 1950's that the blend Sir Alexander had envisaged was finally created. The Master Blender who had inherited his blending books wanted to blend a tribute to Sir Alexander, but again production was hampered due to the shortage of mature whiskies after the Second World War. A limited production was blended and named Extra Special Old Reserve and was reserved exclusively for the master blenders and directors of the firm.
With stocks of the rarest and most mature whiskies now available, the Walker directors are sharing their secret blend. The blend which has been renamed Johnnie Walker Gold Label is now being released in limited quantities (owing to the rarity of the component whiskies) to select international markets.
JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD LABEL FAST FACTS
There
are three basic ingredients in Scotch whisky: water, which gives Scotch
its smoothness; cereals, which impart sweetness; and yeast for fruitiness.
The blend for Johnnie Walker Gold Label was originally created in 1920 by Sir Alexander Walker to celebrate the centenary of his grandfather’s company. Short supplies of rare mature whiskies following World War I and II meant that only a limited supply was created.
Several months before he passed away in 1950, Sir Alexander gave his blending notes to his successor in the hope that his blend would one day be enjoyed by others. With current stocks of mature single malts more plentiful Johnnie Walker Gold Label is now being released in limited quantities.
Johnnie Walker Gold is a blend of 15 rare whiskies, each aged a minimum of 18 years. Among the fine single malt whiskies used to create Johnnie Walker Gold Label are:
Clynelish a rare malt made with spring water renowned for its gold deposits which are released into the water from red granite rock. Clynelish is so rare and prized that during the last century only private customers were supplied. Provides honeyed creamy flavour notes;
Royal Lochnagar one of Scotland’s rarest malts and much loved by Queen Victoria, imparts a fragrance to the aroma and richness to the flavour;
Cardhu the whisky so favoured by the Walkers that they bought the distillery, lends its characteristic "silky" smoothness;
Talisker from the Isle of Skye contributes a wonderful intensity and depth. Each plays a vital role in creating the full aroma and breadth of flavour of the blend.
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