Johnnie Walker

When you are sailing the seas, exploring the world and, maybe taking in the wonderful history and culture that surrounds us all it is easy to miss that some of these wonders are just the other side of the bar from us.

My name is James Martin and I like whisky.  In fact I like whisky so much that I spent nearly two years hosting and producing ‘The Malted Muse Podcast’.  This was a weekly podcast that explored the world of whisky - how it is made, who makes it, the current news and its long history.  For me whisky is not just a drink - it is much more.  When I raise a glass of whisky I feel a connection to all the skill and artistry that goes into it, but I also feel connected to much more than that, I feel connected to its history, its customs, the key figures who played a part in its development and the poor, cold and hungry farmers who made it illegally and kept them going through long hard winters.  There is a connection with troubled times and rebellion as well as joyous times and celebration.

Each whisky has an identity and a story to tell - if you are willing to listen.

In this episode I want to explore the brand that boasts having 4 corners, the brand that most people know and for those that do the colour of the label can make a big difference.  I want to talk about Johnnie Walker.

Johnnie Walker holds an interesting position in the whisky world.  There is no doubt that it is good whisky but it is also known for another aspect.  Tommy Dewar (see the episode on White Label) was the author of many a punchy quote and one of those was “advertise or fossilise”.  Tommy was a master of promotion but there are few that have stood the test of time for iconic branding more than Johnnie Walker.  The problem with Johnnie Walker is that it is so well known that people think they know it and miss out on some of the important aspects of it, aspects that literally decided the fate of the world - as well as defining whisky itself.  The Johnnie Walker story, despite what the branding suggests, is not one to take in your stride - so let's have a stroll into the past.

The Johnnie Walker story has much in common with that of Dewars, both have beginnings in farming and both put great importance in education.  John Walker came from a farming family who used money from the selling of the farm to open a small merchants business in Kilmarnock.  Without having insurance he was almost wiped out in 1852 by a devastating flood that hit the area.  He did, however, manage to keep going although it was mainly a local business.  However, Kilmarnock was an important city with a thriving coal industry and this brought in improved rail networks to London and was to open up the world.  At this point whisky was on the change, blending had tamed the edges but had also made a more competitive and consistent product.  There are those who argue that the phylloxera outbreak that had such an effect on the brandy industry was the reason whisky became more popular but the reality is that whisky had already begun booming before that happened - although it must of helped.

It was John’s son, Alexander, that expanded the business to London, opening offices there 4 years before Dewars. 2 years after Dewars opened their London offices Alexander brought his sons, George Patterson Walker and John Walker, into the business and formed ‘John Walker and Sons L’td’.  However, shortly afterwards in 1889 Alexander passed away and his third son ‘Alec’ also joined the company.  In 1890 George Patterson Walker became chair and a young James Stevenson, also from Kilmarnock, joined the company.  Together they were to develop Johnnie Walker into the largest scotch whisky blenders and bottlers in the world. 

When a business becomes beyond a certain size it can face real concerns about stock.  It needs a certain and reliable source of materials to create it’s product.  For some this would involve buying or building a distillery.   Johnnie Walker did the same thing - only with more than one.  Over time they developed the concept of the 4 corner stones or pillars of whisky. Each one representing one of the main areas os Scottish distilling.  From the Lowlands is Glenkinchie, from Speyside is Cardhu, from the Highlands is Clynelish and from Islay is the wonderful Caol Ila - so wonderful that I was tempted by a dram of it whilst I wrote this.  These are, of course, not the only whiskies used, in fact another one is Blair Athol only a few minutes away from Dewar’s Aberfeldy distillery.

But whisky is more than a drink and it is made with more than just physical ingredients. In 1908 John Stevenson moved to London, whisky changed name from ‘Walker’s Kilmarnock Whisky’ to the now famous ‘Johnnie Walker’.  The business grew and it reached the point that demand was greater than supply, despite much expansion.

At this time whisky was at a crossroads. Peter Mackie, of White Horse fame, had argued that the public didn’t understand quality whisky and that there needed to be regulation to protect it’s integrity.  This was a time when debates about the definition of whisky itself were to be had.  Peter Mackie and John Stevenson  joined forces in this movement. As this was happening  the first World War broke out.  Clearly this had a dramatic effect on everything.  This was compounded by the fact that Britain’s Prime Minister at the time was in favour of temperance and had wanted a 33% increase in tax on whisky when he had been Chancellor.  This was Lloyd George a man who, despite a once popular song would lead you to believe, did not know my father, and a man who you would not expect to be endeared to anyone in the whisky business.  The whisky industry, like many, was put on hold as efforts moved towards enabling the armed forces.  Many leaders of business were brought in to take charge of various departments within the war machine.  This did not always work due to the differences between the risk taking and creative business leaders and the slow and red taped government departments.  John Stevenson was a stand out exception to this.  He had had earlier contact with Lloyd George when he was Chancellor and claimed that it was he who had persuaded Lloyd George to agree to the Immature Restrictions Bill.  This meant that whisky had to be matured for three years minimum before it could be called whisky - a standard that is still in operation today.  During the war John Stevenson and Alec Walker were called to the Ministry of Munitions where they excelled.  Lloyd George saw John Stevenson through the glasses of admiration and would use him as a trouble shooter for other departments.  It could be argued that without his input that the outcome of the war could have been very different.  Despite his baronial motto being ‘Carry on’ he himself couldn’t, as Sir Robert Bruce Lockheart said ‘ He carried on beyond the limits of his own strength’, he passed away in 1926 at only 53 years old.

Churchill said of him -

Among all the ablest business men, striving under wartime pressure to do their utmost for the country, (Stevenson renounced all remuneration for the duration of the war) he was always first or among the first ... Not only did his special department for the supply of guns and shells far exceed all previous records or expectations during the period of his control, but in the general work of the Munitions Council and in the adjustment of difficulties inseparable from the strain of wartime administration, he showed the qualities of a business statesman and leader of men. My own obligations to him are endless.

It may be no surprise that Churchill’s reported favourite whisky was Johnnie Walker.

But it would be wrong to talk about Johnnie Walker without looking at the ‘other main character’ this being, of course ‘the walking man’.

Johnnie Walker whisky has been in rectangular bottles with a slanted label since the 1860’s and for good reason.  Whilst the round bottles are familiar other shapes have advantages - The three sided bottles of Glenfiddich and the rectangular bottles of Johnnie Walker take up less space in storage and don’t roll away when laid on their sides.  The other reality is that they stand out on the shelf - you recognise them long before you read the label and you know what the label is going to say just by the colour.  

The walking man was first drawn by Tom Browne, artist, illustrator and cartoonist that founded the London Sketch Club.  It is allegedly inspired by a painting of the founder John Walker and was drawn on either a napkin or a menu.  Although there have been some changes over the years the basic figure has remained.  His position within adverts has altered to relate to the times but the constant theme is one of movement, of being like whisky itself - maturing, developing yet relevant.  in 1927 he was drawn by a women for the first time, Doris Zinkeisen, known for her work in theatre as well as posters, introduced colour to the logo.  His jacket became red, his waist slimmed and he developed a modern edge to his flair.  His character also developed.  up to a point he had been seen as a person who enjoyed and promoted whisky but he was about to mature into a representative of the whisky world, someone who loved but also knew about whisky. Clive Upton was next to change him in 1939.  This was when he shrunk. Rather than being a dominant figure in adverts he became more of a logo at the bottom of it - smaller yet still very present.  1959 saw another change as he began being represented as a real person in photographs rather than a drawn figure. His character is so established that just a photo of his arm holding a cane, or his hat, was enough to give recognition.  1996 and John Greary updates the image and a new slogan is born ‘Keep Walking’ - a clever campaign that introduced the idea that you could be getting your steps in by just raising a glass - well in my mind anyway. Next is 2015 when Gary Redford makes some dramatic changes, he is simpler and more emblematic. Reduced to monotone and simple forms ‘the walking man’ has lost none of his style, energy or impact.  The silhouette nature he now embodies still holds a culture and history. it shows the minimalism of modern style and yet references the popularity of silhouette portraiture that would have been in trend at the time of John Walker. He becomes both recognisable and anonymous, known and yet mysterious. 

Then, of course there is the whisky the core range being -

Red Label - The original and the starting point - includes Cardhu, Coal Ila, Cameronbridge, and Teaninich, used in cocktails it is not to be undervalued.

Black Label - Matured for 12 years but should not be considered as an older red label.  It may be older but that is not the only thing - it is blended to a different flavour profile and usually appreciated on its own. It is the representation of the 4 pillars of Scottish whisky

Double Black - Again not to be thought of as a development of the black label.  It is not aged the same or blended the same - this has more body and smoke to it.

Gold Label - matured 18 years from 15 whiskies it is it’s own dram - vibrant yet smooth.

Green label - aged 15 years it is a blended malt that includes Talisker, Linkwood, Cragganmore, and Caol Ila. it has no grain whisky in the blend. It has a level of smoke to it which is hard to find onboard some ships.

Blue label - No age statement but still a very good whisky, how can this be? because of the skill that goes into it and the fact that only 1 in 10,000 casks are selected for it. Originally marketed as Johnnie Walker’s Oldest