Johnnie Walker Prices (2023)

Johnnie Walker Prices vary from their affordable entry level Red Label starting around $30 all the way to the exotic Blue Label which will cost you roughly $250 per bottle.

Johnnie Walker is a Scotch whisky that was developed near the beginning of the 19th century. Today it is the best-selling brand of Scotch, a spirit with a relatively high number of producers due to its age and established popularity.

All Scotch whiskies are, as suggested by the name, produced in Scotland. They have to adhere to a complex web of guidelines in order to earn the name of “scotch”, and are divided into one of five categories depending on the ingredients used to make them, but for the most part, you can usually characterize them as being of malt or grain. To learn more about Scotch and whiskey click here.

Scotch prices, as with any spirit can range greatly in cost. No different is Johnnie Walker with the prices varying between labels according to age, ingredients, and methods.

How Johnnie Walker is Made

While Johnnie Walker produces a wide range of whiskies, they are a blend of both grain and malt. The grain is mostly barley, but the rules do allow for other types of grains to be fermented to make the spirit, such as rye or wheat. Malt, a mysterious word heard often in the Scotch world, just means barley that is dried using a process known as “malting.”

This process effects Johnnie Walker prices with the more expensive blends being aged longer.

While Johnnie Walker has always been popular, it’s been losing some ground lately to other brands. To combat this, the brand has started to make some significant pushes in marketing. In 2018, they released special-edition Jane Walker bottle and they intend to release another later in the year on the heels of the last season of Game of Thrones.

Johnnie Walker Story

Johnnie Walker, is creation of a Scottish grocer from the town of Kilmarnock. As you may have guessed, he was named Johnnie Walker. Having a good eye for business, Johnnie began selling blended whiskies to customers in a world when most stores only sold single malts. Since the quality of single malts often varied from bottle to bottle, blended whiskeys were more consistent. 

Proving to be a big success, when John’s son Alexander took over the business in 1857, he  began transporting the whiskey world wide. The Industrial Revolution and increase in trade catapulted sales and he engaged ship captans as agents. The hefty, square shaped bottles originally designed for long sea crossings, are still used today. 

In 1867 the company introduced its first commercial blend called Old Highland Whiskey with the notorious slanted label that is still recognizable today. 

By 1909, Alexander’s grandson takes over and new labels Johnnie Walker Red Label and Johnnie Walker Black Label are born. The release of the new Johnnie Walker label also debuted with the ‘Striding Man,’ the flamboyant, slim figure sporting a cane, monocle and top hat. 

Sales and export increase so much that by the mid 20th century, Johnnie Walker becomes available in 120 countries around the world. Today, Johnnie Walker is the most popular and widely distributed Scotch whiskey in the world. 

Johnnie Walker Whisky Prices

The definition of Scotch is strictly controlled by laws in the country, which means that it must meet certain requirements that drive up the price.

One of the most important requisites for carrying the Scotch name is that whisky must be aged in an oak cask for three or more years. This means that you won’t get a budget option as you would with vodka. The cheapest of scotch whiskies cost over $20.00 for a 750 mL bottle.

As far as the price goes, the longer something has been sitting in the cask, the better it will taste, which means that these companies can charge a hefty premium for aged whisky. Johnnie Walker has a diverse range of prices, with older whiskies going for more.

Here is the list of average prices for the company’s spirits:

Type	Size	Price	Proof
Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky	750ml	$35	80
Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky	750ml	$47	80
Double Black Blended Scotch Whisky	750ml	$59	80
Green Label	750ml	$83	86
Gold Label Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky	750ml	$75	80
Platinum Aged 18 Years	750ml	$95	80
Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky	750ml	$245	80

Let’s walk through some of the offerings at different price ranges:

Johnnie Walker Red

The “Red Label” is the basic version of the Scotch. The brand names its different flavors after colors, which are the same as those of the bottle label.

The drink itself is a honey-colored blend of grain and malt whiskies from different distilleries. It makes a good mixer because the taste isn’t as smooth as that of the other labels.

At around $23.00 for 750 ml, it’s the cheapest option on this list. This is about the same price as a reputable Irish whiskey, such as Jameson, but it’s more expensive than basic models for other Scotch brands, such as the bare Ballantine’s Finest, which you can find for around $20.00 in some places.

Johnnie Walker Red Tasting Notes:

Nose: very aromatic, orange peel, soft smoke, baking spice

Palate: spice cake, malt, oak & cedar, butterscotch

Finish: long and moderately spicy with a lingering smokiness

Johnnie Walker Green Label

The Green Label is the next major step up in terms of price, quality, and taste. This one will typically cost you around $60.00 for the 750 mL bottle, which makes it double the cost of the red version.

This variant is a blend that is guaranteed to be composed of 15-year-old whiskies. The Red Label, by comparison, usually uses casks of the drink aged between 3 and 10.

With the assumption that whisky aged longer is of a better taste, we can compare this brand with other 15-year-olds. Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Whisky is one competitor, which is cheaper by about $15.00 on average for the same quantity. Glenfiddich 15 is a more direct alternative, as the price is about the same or slightly higher on average than Johnnie Walker’s Green.

Johnnie Walker Green Tasting Notes:

Nose: cinnamon, baked apple, toffee

Palate: stewed apple, salt, moderate smoke

Finish: lingering spice and smoke with a hint of fruit

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

The Blue Label is the most expensive product under the Johnnie Walker name.

As with all of the whiskies under this brand, this is a blend of several different whiskies with different ages and from different distilleries. The packaging makes no mention of the ages combined here, being that it can cost more than $200.00, the claim sometimes made that the spirits have been sitting in the casks for up to 40 years in some cases is credible.

Johnnie Walker Blue Tasting Notes

Nose: spice, vanilla, honey

Palate: caramel, hazelnut, dark chocolate

Finish: luxuriously long, warm, smokey

Johnnie Walker Swing

Developed in the 1930’s by Sir Alexander Walker, the son of Johnnie Walker, this whiskey is a blend of 35 different whiskeys with a large portion being Speyside malts. The bottle has a signature design not to spill when tipped in any direction up to a 45 degree angle. Back in the 30’s transatlantic crossings by sea were the preferred method of travel and Johnnie Walker Swing ensured there’d be no spilled Scotch on these long voyages!

Johnnie Walker Swing Tasting Notes

Nose: caramel, apple, light floral notes

Palate: oak, cinnamon, clove, baked apple

Finish: medium heat with delightful spice and smoke

Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker

This new, limited-edition Scotch from Master Blender, Emma Walker, is a blend of single malts from Cardhu, a 200 year old distillery in the heart of Speyside.

A 750ml bottle of Jane Walker 10 year old Scotch with cost you roughly $52.00

Jane Walker Tasting Notes

Nose: ripe orchard fruit, ripe peach

Palate: roasted apple, sweet cream

Finish: lingering dark chocolate

Common Recipes: What to Mix with Johnnie Walker

Frequent drinkers of Scotch will often claim that the best way to enjoy the drink is simple to sip it with nothing more than a few ice cubes inside of a glass. Nevertheless, many cocktails have been invented for Johnnie Walker, especially recommended for drinking with the relatively cheaper Red Label.

The Rusty Nail

This drink is for lovers of the taste of Scotch, including both the Scottish whisky itself and drambuie, which is a powerful liqueur made of Scotch that still manages to keep 40% alcohol by volume. To make it, mix the following into an old-fashioned glass with a lot of ice –

• 2 Parts Scotch Whisky
• ½ Part Drambuie

The Blood and Sand

This cocktail combines the taste of Scotch with that of fruit from orange juice. Experts recommend squeezing the juice out of the oranges yourself, rather than using the store-bought stuff and using a smooth whisky which is not smokey, but it’s all a matter of personal taste. Combine the following in a cocktail glass:

• .75 oz Scotch
• .75 oz sweet Vermouth
• .75 oz orange juice
• .75 oz fruit liqueur

The Godfather

Much like the rusty nail, The Godfather is a simple combination of Scotch, liqueur, and ice in a glass. This is an attestation to the general love people have for the taste of Scotch without the need to add too much to it. Combine the following ingredients in an old-fashioned glass with a generous amount of ice:

• 2 parts Scotch Whisky
• 1 part Amaretto liqueur

Blended vs. Single Scotch

Scotch Whisky can be blended or single. “Blended” means that it is combined from whiskies from different distilleries, whereas “single” means that it comes from a single distillery.

Single malts are considered to be superior to blends, but in reality there’s little difference. A blend is said to have a “smoother” taste because different liquids are combined to make it, whereas a single can have a stronger, sometimes described as “sharper”, taste.

Because of this, single scotches are usually more expensive. While Johnnie Walker is a blended whiskey, though, it has certain options that could be even more expensive than singles – namely the blue label.