Johnnie Walker teams up with Fashion Director Oliver Rousteing for new whisky venture
Rogue but in vogue
Johnnie Walker - possibly the most purchased present for fathers-in-law across the country - has had a glow-up, teaming up with Oliver Rousteing, the Creative Director of luxury fashion house Balmain, and launching a limited edition release.
Couture Expression is the inaugural release from the Johnnie Walker Vault. The vault is a library of over 500 rare, aged, and ghost whiskies. Not sure what a ghost whisky is? It’s when a distillery has closed down, so are no longer producing new liquid, but still have existing whiskies ageing in casks. It’s the definition of once it’s gone, it’s gone.
This collection draws inspiration from the world of high fashion, blending artistry with whisky. Each of the blends in the new Couture Expression range is made using the same core whisky from ghost distilleries, including Brora and Port Dundas, then is layered with hand-selected whiskies from the Johnnie Walker Vault.
The release has four different blends, mimicking the fashion world’s seasonal rotation - a spring release, a summer, a fall, and a winter, all created using a selection of rare whiskies. Spring (unsurprisingly) is refreshing and floral, created using a 1985 Cragganmore, the rarely seen 1977 Caledonian, and minerality from a treasured 1978 Port Ellen.
Summer uses an experimental Cardhu Wine Cask Finish and a 1990 Clynelish, all wrapped in the richness of 1988 Benrinnes. Fall also uses an experimental whisky, a Teaninich chocolate malt, with a smoky 1978 Port Ellen. Finally, Winter is a nostalgic blend and the richest of the four whiskies. It uses a Port Ellen base and Brora, with a mulled wine sweetness which comes from a 1988 Benrinnes.
If you thought the whiskeys themselves were special, the bottles only match their contents. Each Couture Expression is bottled in a square crystal decanter, handcrafted by luxury house Baccarat. The shape is a departure from the long rectangular bottles which usually grace the back of the drinks cupboard. The redesigned shape is in homage to the iconic square bottle created by the original Alexander Walker back in the 1800s.
In true fashionnn, the decanters have been draped in four different metallic shades, each inspired by the seasons. And to quite literally top it all off, each bottle has a sculptural wing stopper in a nod to Johnnie Walker’s Keep Walking slogan.
The collection is launching on 26th May across the globe, with just 25 bottles of each season available worldwide. Harrods will be home to some of the bottles in a pre-launch collection from 5th May, in case you are desperate to have one of these statement bottles - although the recommended retail price is £16,000 per bottle so it’s not exactly an impulse purchase.
Blurring the lines between alcohol and fashion, as this collaboration entangles the two closer than they’ve ever been before. Gone are the days of whisky being thought of in the same bracket as smoking jackets, old men, and private members clubs.
Rousteing is just the first cultural collaborator for the Johnnie Walker Vault and this is the first release of a two-part collaboration between the two. Each cultural figure who teams up with the whisky brand will be working with Master Blender Dr Emma Walker to create each expression. Who knows who will be next? Personally we’d love to see a David Attenborough or Danny Dyer collaboration.
Main image via Diageo
