Johnnie Walker, the world-renowned Scotch whisky brand, has teamed up with Balmain couture icon Olivier Rousteing on a super-exclusive inaugural release from its Johnnie Walker Vault.
The initiative brings together Rousteing’s high-end fashion vision and the expertise of Johnnie Walker master blender Dr Emma Walker in what the brand says is an innovative exploration of flavour, form and heritage that will influence the final release, set to be revealed later this year.
The first of two releases of Johnnie Walker Vault x Olivier Rousteing Couture Expression will be pre-launched at Harrods on 5 May, a preview that will include the full collection of decanters numbered 1.
The release will be launched globally from 26 May, with only 25 bottles of each blend (named after the seasons), costing £16,000.
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The Johnnie Walker Vault is home to more than 500 of the rarest and most exceptional whiskies in the world. Until now, access to the Vault has remained exclusive to a select group of whisky makers and blenders (and a Spear’s writer). Rousteing’s involvement marks the first time a cultural figure has been invited into this temple to whisky.
Each handcrafted decanter, made by French crystal maison Baccarat, features Rousteing’s couture technique of drapé . The dramatic winged stopper, is Rousteing’s tribute to the Johnnie Walker ethos, ‘keep walking until you fly’.
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The pair worked in a hidden ‘atelier’ beneath Johnnie Walker Princes Street on four blends – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Walker then layered hand-selected whiskies from the Johnnie Walker Vault, translating Rousteing’s narrative inspired by the season. The collection includes ghost whiskies from Brora and Port Dundas.
‘This has been an emotional journey,’ Rousteing said. ‘What started as a collaboration to create one special release became a creative exploration of four seasons, just like a couture collection.
‘For me, the seasons bring different energy and emotions – the feeling of rebirth in Spring, the hazy freedom of Summer, the self-reflection of Fall and the cosiness of home and family in Winter – that Emma so beautifully captured in the collection.’
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The collaboration is positioned as a creative experiment in storytelling, materiality and sensory experience, but it is also designed as a tool to introduce the rarified world of Scotch whisky to a new audience, perhaps previously put off by its aura of leather armchairs and all-male members’ clubs.
‘Pushing boundaries through blending artistry has always been at the heart of my work, and opening the doors of the Johnnie Walker Vault to welcome such a progressive, creative talent of Olivier’s magnitude has been something that will stay with me forever,’ Walker said.
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Rousteing, who has served as creative director of Balmain since 2011, is known for his innovative reinterpretation of heritage brands.
Walker said: ‘Olivier brought an emotional language to the blending creation, and we worked together to explore what whisky can express – technically, sensorially and artistically. We deliberately chose to use the same whiskies across several of the seasons, playing with proportions, textures and seasonal notes to create four distinct expressions of whiskies.’
