Every Johnnie Walker Blue Label Limited Edition – Part 2

Johnnie Walker Blue Label is one of the rarest and most popular whiskies in the world, representing the pinnacle of Johnnie Walker’s portfolio. Crafted from Scotland’s finest and most exceptional whiskies, this luxury blend has garnered global acclaim for its superior quality and exclusivity.

With around 300 special-edition Blue Label bottlings, the brand frequently collaborates with artists and designers to create unique, limited-edition releases. These designs, featuring striking artwork, range from limited runs of 100 bottles to larger collections, making Blue Label a coveted collector’s item. This second article explores these expressions, starting with the cities and countries-themed editions and the cask-strength ceramic decanters series. Read part one here. 

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Limited Editions 2013 & 2014  

In 2013, Johnnie Walker introduced concepts that would become enduring features of the Blue Label limited releases, designer collaborations, panoramic bottle artwork, and the long-running cities branding theme. A partnership with leather goods and accessories design company, Alfred Dunhill, produced two limited editions in a leather-style presentation box and traveler’s truck format. 

The Blue Label: Dunhill Traveller’s Trunk includes a dual-branded special edition bottle, with four glasses, ice tongs, funnel, and Dunhill flask originally retailing for $15,600 – with only 500 sets produced. 

The first known Blue Label limited-release bottling featuring three-sided panoramic artwork was released in celebration of China’s Mid Autumn Festival. 

Johnnie Walker also launched the inaugural Blue Label bottlings tailored to specific cities and countries, featuring bottle designs engraved with cityscapes or country landmarks. As Blue Label began as a travel exclusive, the ‘City Edition’ bottlings were only available in the corresponding city and country airports, a ‘Cruise Edition’ was also released for cruise passengers. 

The City Editions had varying production runs, ranging from Blue Label: Tel Aviv’s 5000 bottles, to London and Los Angeles’ 750 bottles, whilst only 250 bottles were produced of the Toronto and St. Petersburg designs. The remaining cities and countries amongst the releases celebrated are Thailand, Moscow, South Korea, and Paris. 

The Johnnie Walker brand continues to emphasize travel and exploration, with Diageo promoting the brand by launching the Voyager, a 1920s 1920s-style yacht that sailed through Asia between September 2012 – March 2013, hosting a number of events at different destinations onboard. In commemoration of Voyager’s journey, Johnnie Walker launched the Blue Label: Voyager expression, bottled at 48% ABV. 

In 2014, the limited releases consisted of a new Casks Edition, ‘Bold & Robust’, a geometric style bottle, and Johnnie Walker Blue Label: Ryder Cup, celebrating the golfing trophy, with only 2,352 bottles produced. 

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Limited Editions 2015 & 2016 

Throughout 2015 and 2016, Johnnie Walker continued to release city and country Blue Label themed editions, beginning with 12 expressions in 2015. The production runs differed, varying the bottle sizes and quantities of expressions; Blue Label: Philippines Edition is believed to have the largest production at 7,107 bottles, contrasting with Paris’ 1000 bottles. 

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence, two Blue Label: Singapore expressions were released, the first a 100cl featuring a cityscape design, and a 75cl Jubilee edition inspired by traditional art with only 888 bottles produced. The remaining cities and countries amongst the releases depicted locations including, London, Edinburgh, Munich, Japan, Dubai, Shanghai, Delhi, and Mumbi. 

In 2016, a further 19 Blue Label city and country editions were released, depicting worldwide locations including Barcelona, Vienna, Maimi, and Chicago. Two Blue Label: New York editions were released, a 75cl and 100cl duty-free bottling, each depicting a different view of the city. The Philippines received three separate releases, with the labels each illustrating a different city; Davao, Manila, or Cebu – with only 888 bottles produced of each, symbolizing the lucky number eight in many Asian cultures.  

Exclusively for the Chinese market, Johnnie Walker released four limited expressions called the ‘Striding Cities’, a series of white labeled bottles featuring colorful illustrations combining cityscapes with aspects of Chinese culture and history. Only 888 bottles were produced for each edition, celebrating the cities of Shanghai, Fujian, Guangdong, and Beijing. 

Coinciding with the launch of Johnnie Walker’s ‘Joy Will Take You Further’ campaign and the latest ‘Striding Man’ design in 2015, Blue Label: Striding Man, a gift set of four 20cl bottles was released, each featuring a different version of the brand icon’s evolution between 1908-2015. Standalone limited Blue Labels included a cask edition bottled for Singapore Airlines, the Winter Editon, and Karman Line.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label The Casks Edition Ceramics 2014 to 2016 

Between 2014 and 2016, Blue Label’s Casks Edition releases were bottled in white ceramic decanters for sale at selected international airports and Johnnie Walker houses worldwide – the brand’s flagship embassy bars. The majority of the Blue Label Casks Ceramic decanters were inspired by Chinese qīnghuā or European Delftware, blue and white pottery design featuring white ceramics and blue decoration depicting locations and cultural aspects. 

While the Blue Label Casks series is often bottled at a cask strength of 55.8% ABV, the Ceramics releases for California, Mumbai Airport, and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport were released at 48% ABV. 

There were some notable exceptions amongst the Ceramics series, the South Korea / Seoul expression reversed the ceramic design with a blue decanter featuring white detailing – with only 500 bottles produced. Two Blue Label Ceramics had colored decorations, one a view of China’s Chengdu city, a release of 672 bottles, and the Sa-Shin-Do Korea expression which depicted animals and mythology, the smallest production in the series at only 100 bottles. 

The remaining Ceramics series were released exclusively for, Shanghai, Paris, the Middle East, Auckland, Singapore, and Taiwan.