Diageo power brand Johnnie Walker has unveiled a limited-edition scotch whisky bottle which, to the best of its knowledge, weighs in as the world’s lightest ever brought to market.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra is the result of five years’ experimentation to deliver a 70cl scotch whisky glass bottle like no other.
The first-of-its-kind vessel is the brand’s lightest 70cl scotch whisky glass bottle to date, weighing 180g (without the stopper). “Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra is a truly progressive stride forward for Johnnie Walker, Diageo and the industry,” said its Global Brand Director, Jennifer English. “We didn’t know what we were going to be able to achieve when we set out to push the boundaries of luxury, and the result is something that many said would not be possible. This new, lightweight bottle is a thing of exquisite beauty.”
Along with external glass makers, the brand rethought all aspects of how the bottle is designed, made and transported: from hand-blowing the glass, to using a teardrop shape which, for the first time ever, meant reforming the iconic Johnnie Walker square bottle. Whilst the technology is not yet available to launch bottles of this weight at scale, permanently, the knowledge Johnnie Walker has garnered is already being applied to lightweighting projects across the Diageo portfolio.
The brand has been granted a UK patent4 but, in a first for Diageo, a license to that patent will be offered on a royalty-free basis to anyone in the world, in the hope of encouraging further progress. Global Design Director at Diageo, Jeremy Lindley, said of the decision: “Rather than hold this new knowledge close to our chest…we hope our discoveries will have a positive impact within the wider industry and help discover new possibilities for lighter, lower carbon packaging alternatives.”
A new Johnnie Walker Blue Label expression was blended for this exquisite bottle by Dr. Emma Walker, the Johnnie Walker Master Blender. For this release, Dr. Walker sought out liquids from distilleries such as Oban, Brora and Royal Lochnagar, as well as a variety of ‘ghost whiskies’, first made in distilleries that have since closed. In celebration of this technological breakthrough only 888 bottles will ever be produced.
A limited number of the limited-edition bottles will be released for sale in 2025 in selected markets worldwide (RRP £1000).
