Exclusive John Walker & Sons decanter for TR

Diageo Global Travel and Middle East has repackaged its John Walker & Sons XR 21 year old blended Scotch whisky in an Art Deco style 1 litre decanter exclusively for the travel retail market.

John Walker & Sons XR 21 year old is a commemoration of the knighthood awarded to Sir Alexander Walker, grandson of the brand’s founder, who was knighted by King George V in 1920.

The new 1 litre decanters are individually numbered and their design was inspired by the decanter styles of the art deco era, in which Sir Alexander Walker was the brand’s master blender. The decanter is presented in a matt finish gold carton with textured gold metallic detailing featuring a ‘sculpted’ cross, which echoes Sir Alexander Walker’s appointment as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Peter Fairbrother, marketing director of Diageo GT&ME, says: “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 21 year old bottle.”

The special 1 litre bottle is exclusive to travel retail (RRP US$178). The original 75cl bottle (pictured below) is also available in travel retail and domestically (US$138). 

9 September 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor