It all started in 1820 when a determined young man named John opened his grocery shop in Kilmarnock - a thriving town in Scotland - after the death of his father. In those days, most grocers stocked a line of single malts, but they were never consistent. This wasn’t good enough for John. So, he started blending them together to create a whisky that tasted just as good every time. It proved an extremely popular addition to the inventory. Today, Johnnie Walker is the biggest Scotch Whisky brand in the world.

Johnnie Walker whiskies all start with the cereal, either barley or grain. Hot water is added and the mixture warmed up until it thinks it’s time to grow. This is called malting. When it’s ready, the cereal is dried in a kiln and then ground in a mill before being mixed with hot water. The resulting hot, sweet liquid is separated off and cooled down before the yeast is added and fermentation begins.

The liquid is distilled twice to increase the level of alcohol and make the flavor more intense. This involves boiling in a large copper still. Finally, it’s transferred to oak casks to mature for a minimum of three years. The casks are one of the most important things to affect the color and flavor of the finished whisky as an estimated 40-70% of the flavor of whiskey comes from the aging possess and barrel itself.