Johnnie Walker Unveils The World’s Lightest Whisky Bottle

Johnnie Walker, one of the world’s most beloved blended scotch whisky brands, has unveiled the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra, believed to be the lightest whisky bottle. Diageo has stated that the “previously claimed ‘lightest weight scotch whisky bottle’ was launched by a UK retailer and weighed around 298 grams.” 

The reveal of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra signals the brand’s commitment to innovation, with hopes that the ground-breaking design could inspire the more luxurious, lightweight, and low-carbon whisky bottles of tomorrow. 

The Making Of The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra

The Johnnie Walker Blue Label UItra bottle was created over a long period of time, with periods of designing and subsequent testing, or what Diageo calls “a test-and-learn model.” 

As well as redesigning the glass, thought was given to how the bottle would be made and transported. 

The result saw glass being hand-blown into a teardrop shape. For the first time in the brand’s history, the iconic square Johnnie Walker bottle has been reformed. 

“Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra was born out of an ideation session looking at the future of luxury. With other categories moving towards lightweight – such as eyewear and high-performance cycling – we questioned whether luxury spirits could follow suit,” comments Jeremy Lindley, Global Design Director at Diageo. 

“We took our vision to a team of expert glassmakers and throughout a five year test-and-learn process slowly discovered how to create elegant, lightweight glass. The technical challenges that lightweighting presents led us to incorporate various design and production specifications that we could not have envisaged at the start of our journey; from the requirement of a tear drop shape which we have moulded to still mimic the iconic square form of Johnnie Walker bottles, to the addition of a protective cage to allow for a round base, and the hand-making and filling of each individual bottle to avoid damages in production.”

Why It Matters 

The decision to create the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra bottle was born of the brand’s inclusion in Diageo’s Spirit of Progress action plan. Said plan aims to reduce the weight of glass in Johnnie Walker packaging. This will have a direct effect on the carbon emissions of Johnnie Walker packaging, both in terms of production and transport. 

Johnnie Walker’s five years of research and development have meant that the knowledge gained is being applied across the range of Diageo products. However, the technology does not yet exist to roll out the Ultra bottle permanently. Diageo hopes that this will change, and has already been granted a patent to continue development. 

In addition to this, Diageo has announced that a royalty-free license to the patent will be offered to anyone who wishes to join Johnnie Walker in its mission. Lindley said: “Rather than hold this new knowledge close to our chest, we’re excited to be offering a royalty-free licence to our granted UK patent to the world. We hope that our discoveries will have a positive impact within the wider industry and help discover new possibilities for lighter, lower carbon packaging alternatives.”

“Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra is a truly progressive stride forward for Johnnie Walker, Diageo and the industry,” says Johnnie Walker Global Brand Director, Jennifer English. “We didn’t know what we were going to be able to achieve when we set out to push the boundaries of luxury, and the result is something that many said would not be possible. 

This new, lightweight bottle is a thing of exquisite beauty; but more importantly, it demonstrates what is possible when it comes to lightweighting glass. We will continue applying these learnings across our range, taking more progressive strides as we look to the future of Scotch.”

A New Blend For A New Bottle 

Dr Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker’s Master Blender, has crafted a new Blue Label blend to be housed in the Ultra. The blend includes high-quality liquids from the likes of Oban, Brora, and Royal Lochnagar, as well as spirits from ‘lost distilleries’ that are no longer operating. 

Can I Buy The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra? 

Yes, but not yet. As mentioned above, the design is not yet ready to roll out permanently. However, in celebration of this technological breakthrough, Johnnie Walker is releasing just 888 bottles of Blue Label Ultra to the market in 2025. The bottles will retail for £1,000. 

Keep an eye on Johnnie Walker’s and Diageo’s website for updates. 

Johnnie Walker At The London Design Festival 

The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra bottle will be officially unveiled at the London Design Festival on Saturday 14th September, 2024. 

A major partner of the festival, Johnnie Walker has created a special installation at the Old Selfridges Hotel in Marylebone. The installation is named Liquid Light, and is crafted in partnership with designers Marshmallow Laser Feast. It “[celebrates] the design elements of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra.”