JOHNNIE WALKER RELEASES WHISKY OF THE FUTURE, INSPIRED BY BLADE RUNNER 2049
Limited Edition Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director's Cut Celebrates Spirit of Progress and Brand's Legacy in The Film
New York, NY – (September 25, 2017) - Johnnie Walker is excited to announce the official release of Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut – a limited-edition whisky developed in collaboration with visionary Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve and Johnnie Walker Master Blender Jim Beveridge. The new blend comes thirty-five years after Johnnie Walker Black Label appeared in the original Blade Runner film as an iconic whisky of the future.
The unique, custom blend and the futuristic bottle were created in partnership with Blade Runner 2049, opening in theaters October 6. Both showcase Johnnie Walker’s commitment to progress and Alcon Entertainment’s dedication to maintaining the legacy of the original sci-fi classic. Fans first saw a peek of the new bottle at Alcon Entertainment’s Blade Runner 2049 Experience presented by Johnnie Walker at San Diego Comic-Con. The bottle will also appear in the new film.
To celebrate the promotional collaboration surrounding the film, Johnnie Walker has released four digital vignettes featuring Villeneuve, who discusses the project. "Like many fans, I remember the Johnnie Walker bottle from the first film, so it was a unique privilege to collaborate with Johnnie Walker on designing a totally original, custom bottle for the new movie,” he says. “It was also a once-in-a-lifetime experience to help create the limited-edition Director’s Cut blend, which perfectly captures the complex and mysterious world of Blade Runner 2049.”
Beveridge noted, “What we have created in Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut is something really special that fans will be able to relate to and whisky drinkers will love. I was truly inspired by Villeneuve’s artistic vision for Blade Runner 2049 and how it could come to life in this new blend. I learned that filmmaking is much like blending--you have to constantly be committed to creating the best possible outcome. Johnnie Walker blending tradition dates back to 1820 and I’m honored to carry on the legacy and collective memory of our other past blenders to ensure that the same whisky enjoyed today can be enjoyed responsibly in 2049.”
Watch Here to Learn How to Make COCKTAILS OF THE FUTURE
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Johnnie Walker has created a series of cocktail videos featuring five innovative Blade Runner 2049-inspired cocktails: The Deckard; Ode to Dreams; Penicillin 2049; Quest; and Ahara. These custom cocktails are prepared by some of the country’s leading bartenders, including Ezra Star and Tenzin Samdo of Boston and Sam Anderson of New York City, giving fans a taste of the upcoming film.
Only 39,000 bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut have been produced and will be available in select countries around the world while supplies last. The rich, smooth blend has aromatic and vanilla flavors, with clouds of smokiness and will be bottled at 49% ABV - a nod to the futuristic period in which Blade Runner 2049 is set.
Whatever the century, whatever the universe, Johnnie Walker’s commitment to the spirit of human progress endures. As we toast to the future, the makers of Johnnie Walker remind you to enjoy your whisky responsibly.
Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut is available for Blade Runner fans in the US and other select countries with an SRP from $89.99. Prices may vary.
For further information, please contact:
US Film Contact:
Chris Nutley
Warner Bros. Pictures
(818) 954-6626
[email protected]
Sony Pictures Entertainment:
Jean Guerin
SVP, Media Relations
Sony Pictures Entertainment
310.244.2923
[email protected]
Johnnie Walker US Contact:
Dominic Benigno
Hunter PR
212-679-6600
[email protected]
Johnnie Walker Global Contact:
Selina Wallace
Smarts Communicate
[email protected]
About Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut
Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut is a new, experimental Scotch Whisky created by Master Blender Jim Beveridge in collaboration with visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The limited-edition blend is inspired by Villeneuve’s hugely anticipated film Blade Runner 2049 and is housed in a unique and futuristic bottle.
Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut is a dark, rich, smooth blend, with sweet fruity vanilla flavours and clouds of smokiness. It is bottled at 49% ABV as a nod to the futuristic period in which Blade Runner 2049 is set.
About Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker is the world’s number one Scotch Whisky brand, enjoyed by people in over 180 countries around the world. Since the time of its founder, John Walker, those who blend its whiskies have pursued flavour and quality above else.
Six generations of skilled Master Blenders have pioneered and crafted bold new flavours that have transformed a small Scottish grocery store business, founded in 1820, into an international whisky business selling stylish, authentic, and iconic blends.
Today’s range of award-winning whiskies includes Johnnie Walker Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Gold Label Reserve, Aged 18 Years and Blue Label. Together they account for nearly 19 million cases sold annually (IWSR, 2016), making Johnnie Walker the most popular Scotch Whisky brand in the world.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff and Cîroc vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.
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About Blade Runner 2049:
From Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) comes Alcon Entertainment’s science fiction thriller Blade Runner 2049, the much-anticipated sequel to the acclaimed sci-fi film Blade Runner.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
The film stars Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling (La La Land) as K, and Harrison Ford (Witness, the Star Wars films), reprising the role of Rick Deckard. The international cast also includes Ana de Armas (War Dogs), Sylvia Hoeks (Renegades), Robin Wright (Wonder Woman), Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire), Carla Juri (Brimstone), and Lennie James (The Walking Dead), with Dave Bautista (the Guardians of the Galaxy films) and Oscar winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club).
Blade Runner 2049 was produced by Oscar nominees Andrew A. Kosove & Broderick Johnson (The Blind Side) and Bud Yorkin & Cynthia Yorkin. Ridley Scott, who directed the first Blade Runner, served as an executive producer, together with Tim Gamble, Frank Giustra, Yale Badick, Val Hill and Bill Carraro. Villeneuve directed the film from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, story by Fancher, based on characters from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
Opening on October 6, 2017, in 2D and 3D in select theaters and IMAX, “Blade Runner 2049” is a presentation of Alcon Entertainment and will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and internationally by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., which is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE’s Motion Picture Group includes film labels Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Animation, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit https://www.sonypictures.com.
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Blade Runner 2049 © 2017 Alcon, WBEI and CTMG. All Rights Reserved. Rated R.