It began in 1820 when John Walker opened a grocer's store in Kilmarnock and went on to sell a range of spirits including specially blended whiskies.
Eventually Johnnie Walker whisky was born, the famous walking man logo was introduced in 1909, and it grew to become one of the world's first truly global brands - being sold in 12 countries. Two centuries later the rarest items from those humble beginnings are to go on public display in the town where it all started.
The oldest item in the John Walker exhibition, a partnership between the Dick Institute museum in Kilmarnock and the Johnnie Walker Archive, is an 1819 hand-written document which marks the sale of Todriggs Farm, which funded the establishment of the grocery store.
An 1825 hand-written inventory from John Walker’s grocery store, the oldest existing record from John Walker’s shop will also go on display. It details a stock of exotic teas from China, spices from Jamaica and, of course, Scotch whisky.
READ MORE: Diageo's whisky cheer as single malts grow 17%
There is also a John Walker stock book dating from 1857, recording the growth of the business and its increasing focus on whisky in the year of John’s death when the business passed to his son Alexander.
Christine McCafferty, chief archivist at the Johnnie Walker Archive, said: “These items really are the crown jewels of our collection. They are remarkable historical documents that give us a fascinating insight into the roots of Johnnie Walker.
“I’m delighted that to celebrate the 200th anniversary of John Walker starting out in his business we are able to put these items on display to the public in the town where the story began.”
Also included in the exhibition is a rare original copy of a book by renowned Victorian whisky writer Alfred Barnard who visited the Walker’s premises in Kilmarnock in 1893.
There are also the first international medals awarded to Walker’s whiskies, from the Sydney International Exhibition in 1879, Adelaide in 1887 and Melbourne in 1888.
A spokesman for the exhibition said: "Through these items the Johnnie Walker display will tell the inspiring story of the business and brand as it grew from a small grocery store.
" It will reveal the Walker family entrepreneurial spirit as they pioneered global trade, their remarkable talent for innovation with the iconic square bottle and slanted label, and how they led the world in advertising when the Striding Man became one of the world’s first “logos” in 1908."
READ MORE: Bitter Johnnie Walker maker pills lead to new Scottish Diageo row
The exhibition will sit alongside the Dick Institute’s Robert Burns display, home to an original Kilmarnock Edition – the first book of Burns poetry published in 1786.
The spokesman added: "Now, the arguably two most famous Scottish names around the globe will have their unique Kilmarnock stories told side-by-side for the first time. "
Sir Alexander Walker II, the grandson of John Walker, who was involved in running the Johnnie Walker business in the early 20th century, gifted a significant collection of art work to the Dick Institute, with these works remaining on display to this day.
Elena Whitham, deputy leader of East Ayrshire Council and chairman of East Ayrshire Leisure said: “We are delighted to be hosting this display as part of the celebrations to mark 200 years since John Walker started his business in Kilmarnock. We have always recognised him as a son of Kilmarnock and it’s entirely appropriate that these incredible artefacts will be on display in his home town.
“He was an outstanding entrepreneur, born and bred in Kilmarnock. He set up his first shop near Kilmarnock Cross and laid the foundations for a whisky that has reached every part of the globe. Kilmarnock is the home of the most famous whisky in the world and we are proud of what Johnnie Walker means to the heritage of East Ayrshire and indeed Scotland as a whole.”
The Johnnie Walker display will be a permanent feature in the Dick Institute, with different artefacts from the Johnnie Walker Archive being rotated on a regular basis. The current loan items will be on display until October 2020.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here