Johnnie Walker celebrates double-digit sales surge

Sales of Johnnie Walker have surged following the release of “White Walker by Johnnie Walker”.

Diageo' latest half-year earnings saw organic net sales up 7.5% to 6.91 billion pounds, with Johnnie Walker net sales up 10% in the last six months. 

"This was largely driven by Johnnie Walker Black Label and “White Walker by Johnnie Walker”, a successful limited edition inspired by the HBO series Game of Thrones,"  Chief Executive Ivan Menezes explained in an investors' call. "Johnnie Walker Blue Label also performed well, with net sales up double digit.

Scotch is the company's largest category and delivered a strong performance overall, with net sales up 7%.

'Scotch malts improved with strong performance across Asia Pacific, where malts are a core element of the region’s focus on prestige scotch," Menzes noted.

"Within Asia Pacific, Greater China made the strongest contribution, with strong double digit growth of malts in mainland China, coupled with stabilisation of our business in Taiwan. We also delivered in the US supported by growth in the core malts range and a further limited edition collaboration with HBO on Game of Thrones."

According to Menzes, White Walker by Johnnie Walker is "the biggest cultural collaboration within the history of this 200-year-old brand".

"With this innovation we are opening up scotch to a whole new audience thanks to the global cultural phenomenon that is Game of Thrones," he said. 

White Walker became the number one most watched video ever on Johnnie Walker Instagram and the most talked about whisky on social media.

In Great Britain, the product was the number one best seller in Amazon grocery for over a week. And in the US, White Walker became the second most searched for product in the history of the on-line platform, Drizly.
The company has also launched a unique, limited edition range of eight malt whiskies each paired with one of
the iconic houses of Westeros, as well as the Night’s Watch, all inspired by Game of Thrones.

"White Walker by Johnnie Walker and the Game of Thrones malt whiskies have been rolled out in many of our markets across the globe and have made a real contribution to our first half results, but more importantly we have connected new consumers to Johnnie Walker and scotch," Menzes said. 

Diageo Australia held a stunning launch party for White Walker by Johnnie Walker in early December at Bondi Icebergs. 

White Walker by Johnnie Walker is available at all good liquor retailers across Australia, RRP $65 for 700ml (41.7%), and is best served icy cool.