News: A Long Stride, the story of Johnnie Walker

Whisky book nerds, open your calendars and mark 29th October 2020, please! Diageo is celebrating the bicentennial of its flagship brand Johnnie Walker with a brand new book: A Long Stride. 

The history of Johnnie Walker, tracing its roots back to 1820, plays an important part in the history of Scotch whisky. But who was John Walker – the man who started the story? And how did his business grow from the shelves of a small grocery shop in Kilmarnock to become one of the most recognized Scotch whisky brands? 

A Long Stride tells the story of how John Walker, his son Alexander Walker and his grandson Alexander II, build an international brand. Johnnie Walker survived two world wars and flourished despite the Great Depression to become the first truly global whisky brand, revolutionising the world of advertising along the way. 

The book is written by dr. Nicholas Morgan, Diageo's head of Whisky Outreach. Nick Morgan originally joined Diageo's predecessor United Distillers in 1990, to establish the company’s archives. He became an acknowledged expert on the history of the Scotch whisky industry. He worked for many years in Diageo’s global malt whisky marketing team as marketing director. In his role as marketing director, dr. Morgan was responsible for the Talisker range, the introduction of the Special Releases programme, and the development of The Singleton of Glen Ord. 

Release date: 29th October 2020

Price: £16.99 (hardback), £13.59 (e-book)