Johnnie Walker was the brainchild of John “Johnnie” Walker. He owned a grocery in Ayrshire, Scotland where he sold his whisky which was known at that time as Walker’s Kilmarnock Whiskey. Following his death in 1857, Johnnie Walker was established as world renowned brand of whisky by his son Alexander and grandson Alexander II. From an income of 8%, Johnnie Walker registered income 90% under his sons.
When selling whiskies became legal in Scotland in 1860, Alexander introduced the first Johnnie Walker blend called Walker’s Old Highland. In 1870, Alexander started selling his whiskies in square bottles. Square bottles were proved to help in stacking Johnnie Walker and minimized breakage. Aside from the square bottles, Johnnie Walker also became popular because of its label. At an angle of 24°, Johnnie Walker labels were printed in larger font sizes, making it very visible.
In 1908, the whisky became known as Johnnie Walker Whisky. To promote the brand, a slogan which said “Born 1820 - Still Strong!” was added. The brand also carried a new logo: the Striding Man, which was created by Tom Browne. Johnnie Walker was introduced in color names through 1906. One of the most popular was Johnnie Walker White, which was stopped in the World War I. In 1932, the Johnnie Walker Swing was introduced, which was contained in bottle that looked like a rocking chair, allowing it to rock back and forth.
In 1925, Johnnie Walker decided to merge with Distillers Company. Subsequently, Guinness acquired Distillers in 1986. in 1997, Guinness and Grand Metropolitan merged to form Diageo. Since then, Johnnie Walker whiskies were no longer blended in Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland.