When Whisky is the Main Actor

Although actors are undoubtedly the biggest stars of films, from time to time, impressive moments can also be marked by objects, which, of course, the marketing industry has always known how to exploit brilliantly.

Depending on the plot of the film, and even the time in which it was shot, secondary roles have been played by mobile phones, computers, clothing items (Neo’s coat from ‘The Matrix’ was a long-standing hit), food products, and particularly various whiskies have had a long and fruitful tenure. Moreover, this alcoholic beverage has always ‘ruled’ an entire genre, which, admittedly, has been poorly represented on the big screen for some time – the western. Far from being limited to westerns, whisky has marked this genre, but it has long established itself in popular culture as a ‘first-class’ drink. It is hard to imagine a western in which whisky does not appear at least for a moment, judging by films and series, the only drink known to people in the American West at that time.

In a Masterpiece

Among whiskies, the easily recognizable Johnnie Walker has had a particularly notable career in the seventh art and has included some impressive roles in its film collection, which is why the currently untouchable strength of its brand in global terms is not surprising. It appears in, for example, what many consider one of the best films of all time, Ridley Scott’s masterpiece ‘Blade Runner’, in two scenes where the main character Deckard drinks Black Label from a futuristic art deco bottle that once intrigued many viewers.

Red Label also ‘starred’ in the legendary Hitchcock’s ‘Dial M for Murder’, where it sporadically appears throughout the film, usually on the table of the main character Tony Wendice. A more recent mention of Johnnie Walker was in the series ‘Entourage’, when in one of the episodes the character Johnny Drama made it clear to his friend who was trying to persuade him to switch to tequila that he remains loyal to Johnnie Walker. Among more notable titles, ‘Lethal Weapon 2’ or the very popular recent comedy ‘This Is the End’ can also be highlighted, but there are countless examples. One of the most famous whiskies in history is scotch, the original Scottish version of whisky produced in the town of Kilmarnock in southern Scotland according to a legally defined procedure.

Worldwide

Despite the very strong competition of a number of well-known Scottish whiskies, Johnnie Walker, now owned by global giant Diageo, is the most widely distributed scotch in the world, which sold an impressive 17.9 million cases (nine liters) last year, according to Statista.com. According to the same source, it is the leading global brand in the field of spirits, with an estimated value of an incredible $5.6 billion, far ahead of other well-known names like Hennessy, Chivas Regal, or Jack Daniel’s. The value of the second-placed Chinese Moutai, according to its own claim as the best-selling spirit in the world (easily possible considering that everything Chinese quickly becomes ‘the best’ due to the strength of the domestic market), is significantly lower than Johnnie Walker’s at $4.4 billion. The leap is indeed impressive; the brand was valued at $1 billion within Diageo’s portfolio in 1997, and in the meantime, thanks to significant investments in promotion (for example, the ‘Keep Walking’ campaign), it has grown more than five times to the mentioned amount. The London-based company Diageo was formed in 1997 through the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan, and besides Walker, it owns Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray… Although it has a very extensive portfolio of brands in all categories of alcoholic beverages, Diageo was able to attribute the largest part of its profits last year to the impressive number of whiskies under its umbrella, with Johnnie Walker standing out, of course. The most popular markets, besides America, are Asia, the Middle East, Brazil, Mexico, China, Thailand, South Africa, and Taiwan.

Family Business

The beginnings of today’s seemingly unattainable scotch were, as is usually the case, modest. John, or Johnnie to friends, Walker began selling his first sips in the 19th century as part of his shop, but despite the popularity of his blend, the business only began to develop more seriously after his death in 1857, when his son Alexander took over the inheritance. At the time of old John, whisky accounted for only eight percent of the company’s revenue, but by the end of the son’s ‘mandate’, whisky had become the core business with a share between 90 and 95 percent. Interestingly, until 1860, it was illegal to sell blended whisky in Britain, so Alexander made the first combination of blends only in 1865 (Walker’s Old Highland).

That same year, the family whisky was first sold in the recognizable square bottle. The now-famous system of naming different blends with different colors was introduced by grandsons George and Alexander II at the beginning of the 20th century, although today’s name, which is hard to believe is worth more than $5.5 billion, only appeared in 1908 as a result of rebranding carried out by then-director James Stevenson. Until that point, Johnnie Walker was officially called Walker’s Kilmarnock Whiskies.

Preserved Authenticity

Around the same time, the legendary logo of the walking man was designed by Tom Browne in honor of the founder. The simplification and alteration of the naming system is probably best illustrated by the original name of today’s most popular whisky in the world, Johnnie Walker Red Label – Walker’s Special Old Highland Red Label. Most of the initial names were, in fact, difficult to remember and long, and the color label system proved to be significantly better. Red Label was introduced in 1909 and was intended as a slightly lighter variant for mixing with soda. Besides Red Label, whisky lovers also enjoy Black Label, which signifies whiskies aged at least 12 years, while the premium label Blue Label is reserved for those with the most refined palate. Even the method of attaching the label received special attention; the specific label on the bottle is a product of Alexander’s work and was designed to stand out on the store shelf among other whiskies and allows for more letters than is usually the case. Johnnie Walker reached Diageo’s portfolio by entering the Distillers Company in 1925, and Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986, which, in turn, merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997. Although Kilmarnock is the original birthplace of Johnnie Walker, this whisky has not been produced there for some time, but authenticity has been preserved as production has been moved to other distilleries in Scotland.