CHINA. Diageo Global Travel last week hosted a high-profile event for new expression Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire at The Sanya Edition Hotel in Hainan.
It follows other big events around the world to mark the travel-exclusive release, including in Singapore, Paris, London, Dubai and Taipei.
The new blend, now a permanent part of the Johnnie Walker line-up for travel retail, has been created using only one in 10,000 casks from the Johnnie Walker reserves of aged Scotch – a blend of rare Scotch whiskies finished in XO Cognac casks.
The Hainan launch saw media from across Asia welcomed at The Sanya Edition, with the venue transformed into a Parisian-style boutique hotel, creating a space of discovery for the new Johnnie Walker variant.
50 guests from the Asia Pacific region, including senior editors, influencers and members of the Diageo Global Travel management team attended.
The experience was divided into three parts. The Connection of the Two Worlds, included innovative tech-driven experiences to immerse guests in the story of the liquid. The Art of Blending featured sensory table experiences and a master class on Johnnie Walker Blue Label hosted by Johnnie Walker Global Brand Ambassador Ewan Gunn.
The Sensory Journey culminated in a gala dinner with gourmet dishes inspired by France and Scotland to pair with the Xordinaire serves. The finale featured a celebratory experience with a French Chanson band performance and the launch of a cocktail created with Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire.
The activations in airports around the world, inspired by a French boutique hotel, feature an elevator experience, allowing travellers to explore the story behind Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire, before being directed to a sample bar to try the liquid.
At the bar they are able to open the digital guest book for an immersive tasting with a bespoke chocolate pairing created in partnership with renowned French chocolatier, Arnaud Larher. Passengers can then purchase a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire and explore the luxury gifting and personalisation station, including a personalised luggage tag.
Johnnie Walker Master Blender Emma Walker said: “Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire is an exuberance to be shared, a sumptuously smooth Scotch with a soft spice after-taste. This is a luxurious and vibrant Scotch bursting with notes of dried fruit, toasted toffee and sun-ripened black cherry. Bright orchard fruits shine through velvety smoothness, with flashes of peach and soft spice surging upward.”
Diageo Global Travel Managing Director Andrew Cowan added: “Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire marks an exciting step forward in the story of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and it represents our most significant worldwide launch in travel retail to date.
“Our goal is to enhance and confirm Johnnie Walker Blue Label a symbol of luxury that appeals to a wide range of spirit enthusiasts. With this new expression of the iconic Blue Label, we have crafted an offering that caters to both aficionados who seek exclusivity and those looking for a sweeter and smoother flavour experience.
“It is worth remembering that Blue Label was first created as an exclusive for travel retail over 30 years ago, so this is another moment of Blue Label history in the making.”
Meilleur Ouvrier de France Arnaud Larher said: “For inspiration, I looked for a most beautiful harmony with this very aromatic and characterful whisky so that travellers can truly immerse themselves in the luxury world of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Our chocolate, the Guérande, is topped with caramel that is not too cooked, with a slight bitterness, it has a silky texture, with a sweet and salty undertone.
“It is coated in a thin layer of dark chocolate, this chocolate has a nice roundness in the mouth, well balanced, with notes of dried fruits. The marriage is just perfect.”
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire is bottled at an ABV of 40% and is available across key airports across the globe at a RRP of £335/US$399 for a one-litre bottle. ✈
