When John Walker, born on 25 July 1805, lost his farmer father in 1819, the family
sold the farm and their trustees invested the proceeds, £417, in an Italian warehouse,
grocery, wine and spirits shop on the High Street in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Walker
managed the grocery, wine and spirits segment as a teenager in 1820. He began using
his name on his blended whisky labels, selling a blended malt as Walker’s Kilmarnock
Whisky. John Walker died in 1857.
When the owners, Diageo, announced its decision in 2009 to close all operations in
the town of Kilmarnock, it met with backlash from local people, local politics and
then First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond. Despite petitions, public campaigns
and a large-scale march around Kilmarnock, the Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock
closed its doors in March 2012.
A guide track for ‘Save Johnnie Walker’ is available below for listening: -
The track is additionally available within the following collections and sets: -
Associated Collections: -
4/4
March
The Kilmarnock Collection
