John Walker & Sons XR XR 21 Year Old is said to be a commemoration of the knighthood awarded to Sir Alexander Walker, grandson of the brand’s founder. Sir Alexander Walker was knighted by King George V in 1920. This blend is a celebration of his great leadership and of his service to king and country.
The new decanter’s design was inspired by the art deco era when Walker was the brand’s master blender. The decanters are individually numbered and made in the style of whisky decanters from the 1920s.
The XR 21 Year Old is now housed in a new polished gold box emblazoned with a sculpted cross that echoes Sir Alexander Walker’s appointment as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The whisky is described as a “superior blend of exceptional smoothness and depth that contains whiskies that are aged for a minimum of 21 years and drawn from extremely rare Johnnie Walker reserves – including some from distilleries no longer in existence”.
Diageo GTME marketing director Peter Fairbrother said: “Since we launched John Walker & Sons XR 21 Year Old back in 2010, we have seen strong sales across the globe, especially in Asia and among luxury travellers. In line with our travel retail strategy of creating new and premium offerings we wanted to create something special which will appeal to travellers. This represents the ultimate gift for super deluxe whisky drinkers in a format they cannot buy anywhere else and as such, we will be putting significant resources behind it in the channel. The size and growth of this price segment warrants an increased focus and investment behind the new John Walker & Sons XR XR 21 Year Old bottle.”
Walker master blender Jim Beveridge said: “John Walker & Sons XR 21 Year Old is crafted from extra rare casks and imbued with aged oak, subtle vanilla and golden honey notes with an incredibly smooth finish.”
The special 1-litre bottle is exclusive to travel retail (RRP US$178). A 75 cl bottle is available in travel retail and domestically (RRP US$138, £90, €124). The 1-litre version is now available in Changi and Hong Kong Airports, and both versions are also available now around the world.
