Known for its high-end blended Scotch, Johnnie Walker’s range has become the stuff of legend, managing to surpass the expectations and stigma of blended whisky. Whether you’re into brown liquor or not, chances are you know the iconic look and shape of a Johnnie Walker bottle sitting on a shelf. However, the company has recently introduced some new packaging for a new take on its Blue Label. The expression is called Blue Label Ultra and it’s contained in the world’s lightest 70cl glass bottle.
The Bottle
Weighing 180g (6.35oz), beating the previous claim by 118g, the glass bottle for the Blue Label Ultra takes on a new shape. Looking sort of like a pill, the hand-blown vessel was made with the help of Turkey-based glassmaker Sisecam. It might not stand up on its own but is held in a unique cage stand, although it wasn’t stated what material it is. Although this new process is patented by Johnnie Walker, they’ve offered a royalty-free license so that others can make their own without having to pay them when doing so.
On the overall process, Diageo (Johnnie Walker’s parent company) Global Design Director Jeremy Lindley explained, “We took our vision to a team of expert glassmakers and throughout a five-year test-and-learn process slowly discovered how to create elegant, lightweight glass. The technical challenges that lightweighting presents led us to incorporate various design and production specifications that we could not have envisaged at the start of our journey; from the requirement of a teardrop shape which we have molded to still mimic the iconic square form of Johnnie Walker bottles, to the addition of a protective cage to allow for a round base, and the hand-making and filling of each individual bottle to avoid damages in production.”
While Blue Label Ultra will be available to the public, the brand sees the bottle as a prototype for future bottles, aiming to ultimately reduce glass amounts and, thus, carbon emissions across all of its products. However, I assume they won’t be ditching those towering squared decanters that have become a signature of Johnnie Walker.
It’s also important to note that Johnnie Walker says that they “believe” this is the world’s lightest glass bottle, so if anyone wants to challenge their claim, go right ahead (to them though, not to us please).
The Whisky
This new packaging milestone also comes with a new whisky blend from Johnnie Walker. Blended by Master Blender Dr. Emma Walker, Blue Label Ultra sources its premium liquid from distilleries such as Oban, Brora, and Royal Lochnagar, but Johnnie Walker also says the blend includes whisky from shuttered distilleries as well. The taste is said to feature the likes of “fresh red berries, sweet vanilla, wood spice, toffee, and warming wood smoke.”
Spec Sheet
Age: N/A
Distilleries: Oban, Brora, Royal Lochnagar, and various lost distilleries
Tasting Notes: Fresh red berries, sweet vanilla, wood spice, toffee, and warming wood smoke
Limited Edition?: Yes, 888
Pricing & Availability
Limited to just 888 bottles for now (perhaps more will come in the future), Blue Label Ultra is set for a 2025 release with a £1,000 (~$1,313) price tag. It will be officially unveiled at the London Design Festival this weekend. Head over to Johnnie Walker’s website to learn more.
Recap
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra Scotch Whisky
Johnnie Walker’s new whisky expression is a blended Scotch called Blue Label Ultra, and it’s housed in a glass bottle that claims to be the world’s lightest at just 180g.
