From the series: turn-of-the-century geniuses....

Today is Valentine's Day - the name day of Saint Valentine of Rome, the patron saint of lovers, as well as of the seriously ill (legend has it that he was a doctor by training). In connection with this day, I would like to introduce you to the story of a certain family, whose name is a worldwide brand in the field of so-called "male flowers" - dear ladies, I suggest an idea - a great gift for Valentine's Day for the other half!

WALKER - a name recognized all over the globe, and especially valued by lovers of strong, one might say masculine drinks. However, before it took its much-deserved place in the pantheon of the rich and famous, it took many years and countless liters of this golden drink, and it all started in 1805....

Spark

John Walker was born in 1805 on a farm in Ayreshire, Scotland. In 1820, at just 15 years old, he inherited his father's small colonial store, where he sold groceries and spirits. Wanting to attract new customers and the appreciation of regulars, he attempted to blend different varieties of leaf teas. Positive feedback on his blends reassured him that he had a "spark of God" for it, which he soon decided to use in blending Single Malt whiskies (sourced from a single distillery). Blending whisky became John's passion, and he decided to devote himself entirely to refining and perfecting his blends. Of course, when blending different whiskies he used the same principles he learned when blending tea. It soon became apparent that by blending a variety of whiskies he was able to create a liquor that was more refined in flavor, color and finish, unattainable with Single Malt Whisky.

Legacy

When John Walker died in 1857, the art of blending whisky in Scotland was still far from perfect. Even the blends he made were known only in the west of the country. After John's death, his 20-year-old son Alexander inherits the company created by his father, but above all what is most valuable - a sense for blending whisky. In a short time, thanks to his visionary and obsessive approach to the quality of his whiskies, he built an empire beyond his wildest imagination. Alexander Walker created a new whisky blend called Old Highland Whisky, the forerunner of the modern Johnnie Walker Black Label. In 1867, he registered the rights to a distinctive angular bottle with a square base and a slanted label, creating an internationally recognized mark. Marketing-wise, it was a straightforwardly brilliant move by Alexander Walker - you couldn't walk past a bottle that looked like this, labeled like this, without noticing it, which in turn gave all the competition of the time a headache.

In the next generation, the family passion for whisky was passed from Alexander Walker to his two sons, George and Alexander Jr. Alexander Walker's sons stepped into their grandfather's and father's shoes - the younger Alexander Walker became the family's next master whisky blender, while his older brother George Paterson Walker took up the trade and promotion of the brand. Traveling around the world, with consistency and persistence, he built up the Walker whisky distribution network, which was soon to become a real empire. One of George's greatest contributions to the creation of the Johnnie Walker brand was the Wanderer, whose story became part of the Walker legend. When Red Label and Black Label appeared on the market, George Walker decided to create an advertising image for the product. He contacted one of the most famous cartoonists and illustrators of the time - Tom Brown - and together they created the character of a walking gentleman - "Striding Man" (in Poland, Striding Man came to be known as Jaś Wędrowniczek - from the translated and diminutive name of the founder of the family - John Walker). George Walker himself added a slogan under the drawing - "Born 1820. Still Going Strong". Walker family legend says that for the illustrator the prototype of the walking man was George's grandfather - John Walker.

The famous Johnny Walker had his own maxim that guided him in his work. He also passed it on to his co-workers as the key to success - which he stubbornly believed in. Here's what he said, defining the situation of his company's branch in the state of Montana:

We have the minimum number of employees in the state of Montana, but the maximum amount of cooperation.