JOHNNIE WALKER KEEPS ADDING RARE WHISKIES TO ITS PORTFOLIO

NEW JOHNNIE WALKER RELEASES

I have already posted the entire family of Johnnie Walker bottling through the ages at https://noelsramblings.blogspot.com/2020/06/all-that-you-wanted-to-know-about.html/ That is a fairly wide selection with over 350 separate bottlings in their all-encompassing brand. Yet there appears to be no shortage of old and rare whiskies, as new bottlings keep cropping up every now and then. Its time to show them on this post before loading them onto my Johnnie Walker Family Tree.

After the Game of Thrones Series, some standard bottles were reworked. The Gold Label, an 18 YO featuring Clynelish and Cardhu was withdrawn and reappeared as Gold Label Reserve 16 YO. They soon became NAS whiskies, one of which marked their 200^th anniversary.   

Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old was inspired by the tradition of giving private blends to a close circle of family friends by John Walker & Sons. Blended from whiskies matured for at least 18 years, it combined sophisticated and contemporary tastes with classic Johnnie Walker flavours. This was the first premium brand whose name neither fitted the category of colours chosen across their palette nor the intended recipients, and this title was phased out, only to be replaced by the very same whiskies, now named 18 YOs, nothing more. 

2021 Chinese New Year Editions

Johnnie Walker has launched two exclusive Chinese New Year limited editions: an intricately illustrated Johnnie Walker Blue Label and a first-of-its-kind John Walker & Sons King George V limited edition.

John Walker & Sons King George V is a combination of whiskies originally crafted to celebrate the first Royal Warrant granted to Johnnie Walker in 1934 to supply Scotch whisky to the British Royal Household. Drawn from extremely rare casks from the now-silent Port Ellen distillery, Johnnie Walker says the whisky is elegantly rich and creamy. It is the first limited edition of the John Walker & Sons King George V to be released and features bespoke artwork with a modern take on traditional Chinese patterns and designs.

The illustrations on the new John Walker & Sons King George V limited edition are a fitting tribute to this exquisite whisky added to the Chinese New Year offering.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label has a rich history of Chinese New Year releases, each year bringing a bespoke pack and bottle design celebrating that year's Zodiac sign. The 2021 design was created by award-winning Chinese artist Shirley Gong and features illustrations of the ox, a symbol of prosperity and growth.

Both 2021 Chinese New Year limited-edition designs are available in selected markets globally at a recommended price of £200 for the Johnnie Walker Blue Label release and £400 for the John Walker & Sons King George V edition.

Additions to the Chinese Zodiac Releases:

Johnnie Walker Blue Year of the Rat Blended Scotch Whisky 70cl / 40%, 2020. A limited-edition blended whisky from Johnny Walker which celebrates Chinese New Year 2020. This special bottle of Blue Label features illustrations by artist Shirley Gong, reflecting the prosperity and abundance that the Rat's arrival signifies. Mellow and rounded aromas of dry smoke and sweet raisins fill the nose, with notes of hazelnuts, honey, rose petals, orange and aromatic smoke on the palate. £210.

Johnnie Walker Blue Year of the Ox Blended Scotch Whisky 70cl/40%. A limited-edition bottling of Johnnie Walker Blue Label celebrating Chinese New Year and the Year of the Ox. The bottle features artwork from award-winning artist Shirley Gong, with the ox symbolising prosperity, growth and good fortune. In the illustrations the ox is honoured for its majesty, poised high above mountain clouds representing longevity. The remarkable visuals are completed with celebratory lanterns and cherry blossom, signifying good fortune in the year to come.

Lunar New Year With New Limited Edition Year of the Dog Bottle: The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of the Dog limited-edition bottle was released in Feb 2018 in celebration of the Lunar New Year. As part of the brand's Pioneering Spirit Series, Johnnie Walker continues to pay homage to the traditions of Asian culture and lasting heritage of the Chinese Zodiac.

This annual limited-edition series, now in its fifth installment, honours each Lunar New Year with a commemorative bottle inspired by the Chinese Zodiac. The 2018 bottle artwork, created in collaboration with multi-award winning Taiwanese artist Page Tsou, follows the Johnnie Walker Striding Man as he celebrates the Lunar New Year alongside the design's proudly displayed Shar Pei. Originally bred for Chinese nobility, the Shar Pei is renowned for its rarity, a key characteristic of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. With only 1 in 10,000 whiskies distilled by Johnnie Walker possessing the caliber required to craft the Blue Label blend, each bottle exemplifies exclusivity and prestige.

The precious design consists of a total of four dogs all chosen for their special meaning in Asia. This unique design tells the story of the Johnnie Walker Striding Man and a loyal companion as they journey around the world bringing prosperity and rejoicing in the arrival of the New Year. The design also contains various symbols of wealth and prosperity making this bottle extremely unique and the perfect gift to give this Chinese New Year.

Decorated with precious metals and a lacquered, ink-jet finish, the bottle itself depicts an ancient Chinese triptych design of beautiful lanterns, fireworks, and dancing dragons, embodying emotions felt while ringing in the New Year: an eagerness for exploration to worlds unseen, and an inspired sense of optimism and progress – the cornerstone of Johnnie Walker. Man's best friend is pictured standing honest and loyal while traveling through this vibrant landscape, representing the best traits of human nature.

The Lunar New Year is one of the most recognized Chinese traditions around the globe. Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of the Dog is a true collectors' item and the perfect gift for celebrating the Lunar New Year with loved ones and friends. The bottle comes in stunning, collectible packaging that features a front-and-back view of the dazzling bottle – a great keepsake for any home bar or tablescape. Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of the Dog is available nationwide with a suggested retail price of $258.00 (750 ml/bottle, 43% ABV).

John Walker & Sons Bicentenary Blend Blended Scotch Whisky
28 Year Old, 70cl / 46% ABV

A limited-edition blended whisky from John Walker, celebrating the journey that John Walker & Sons has taken over the last 200 years. Inspired by the list of flavours on an original inventory list form John Walker's store, master blender Jim Beveridge has crafted a complex, rich whisky with a medley of tropical flavours imparted by rare stocks from ghost distilleries Pittyvaich, Cambus and Port Ellen. Aromas of exotic fruits, cinnamon, soft smoke, figs, candied ginger, berries and aromatic spices fill the nose and are echoed on the palate.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V Blended Scotch Whisky                Chinese New Year 2021, 70cl / 43% ABV

A limited-edition King George V blended malt from the John Walker & Sons Collection that celebrates Chinese New Year 2021. It is a rare combination of exquisite whiskies, originally crafted to celebrate the first Royal Warrant granted to Johnnie Walker to supply Scotch whisky to the British Royal Household. Drawn from extremely precious, rare casks, every bottle of John Walker & Sons King George V contains irreplaceable whiskies from the now silent distillery of Port Ellen. It is an elegantly rich and creamy whisky that has precious rarity reflected in every drop.