John Walker, the original founder of the Johnnie Walker whisky brand, was born on July 25, 1805, in Kilmarnock, Scotland. He later transitioned from farming to owning a grocery store in Kilmarnock.

In 1819, 14-year-old John Walker took his first steps towards establishing a renowned whisky brand by selling his family farm, a year before the commonly believed origin of the whisky.

Johnnie Walker was founded in 1820 and has become the biggest Scotch Whisky brand in the world. Its slogan is widely recognized and embraced as a symbol of progress, encouragement, and optimism.

In 1833, John married Elizabeth Purves, starting a new chapter in his life.

In 1843, Alexander began distributing whisky globally, leveraging the newly introduced railway system. This marked a significant expansion beyond the domestic Scottish market, with London as the initial target before expanding worldwide.

In 1850, John Walker created and marketed his own brand of blended malt whisky called 'Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky'. This marked a significant milestone in the history of Johnnie Walker.

In 1852, a major flood damaged many local businesses including John's, leading to the ruin of his entire stock.

John passed away in 1857 after a successful and fulfilling life, leaving his son Alexander with a thriving business.

In 1860, Alexander Walker introduced the iconic square bottle for Johnnie Walker whisky, which allowed for more efficient packaging and reduced breakage. The unique label placement at a 24-degree angle also made the brand easily recognizable from a distance.

By 1862, the sales of John's whiskey reached an average of 100,000 gallons per year, showcasing the success and popularity of the brand.

In 1865, Alexander 'Alec' Walker developed Johnnie Walker's initial commercial blend known as Old Highland Whisky, which was officially registered in 1867. This marked a significant milestone in the brand's history.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label was introduced in 1866 as a premium blended Scotch whisky.

In 1867, the first copyrighted blend named 'Old Highland Whisky' was launched by Alexander Walker. This blend eventually evolved into the iconic Johnnie Walker Black Label.

In 1877, Alexander Walker trademarked Johnnie Walker's distinctive slanted label. This unique label design became a recognizable feature of Johnnie Walker whiskies.

The iconic Johnnie Walker label is officially registered as a trademark.

After the death of John Walker's widow in 1890, the Johnnie Walker brand started to officially embrace its colloquial name, which consumers had been using for years.

In 1893, the Walkers acquired the Cardhu distillery to secure a key malt whisky for Johnnie Walker blends. This strategic move made Cardhu single malt exclusively available to the Walkers and played a crucial role in the brand's growth.

In 1908, cartoonist Tom Browne created the iconic 'striding man' figure, which has since been a key element of Johnnie Walker's brand imagery.

In 1909, the famous Red Label and Black Label whiskies were created as successors to the original Walker's Old Highland Blend, marking a significant milestone in the history of the Johnnie Walker brand.

In 1915, Johnnie Walker acquired interests in Coleburn distillery, expanding the scale and variety of their whisky brands.

Tom Browne created the iconic Striding Man figure as a symbol for the energetic brand created by Alexander II and George, leading to the renaming of their whiskies as Johnnie Walker Red Label and Black Label.

In 1923, Johnnie Walker bought Mortlach distillery as part of their strategy to ensure a steady supply of single malts for their blends.

In 1925, Johnnie Walker became a part of the Distillers Company (DCL), which later evolved into Diageo in 1997. This marked a significant milestone in the brand's history.

In 1932, Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line, named after the unique rocking motion of the bottle.

In 1934, John Walker & Sons, the company behind Johnnie Walker whisky, was honored with a Royal Warrant by King George V, signifying the company's prestigious status and quality of its products.

In 1939, the Striding Man logo for Johnnie Walker was miniaturized and first appeared on the brand's labels in 1960.

Since 1945, Red Label has been the best selling Scotch whisky in the world. It is a non-age-stated blend primarily used for making mixed drinks.

In the 1982 film 'Blade Runner', Harrison Ford's character Rick Deckard is depicted drinking Johnnie Walker Black Label, a brand that also appears in the sequel 'Blade Runner 2049'.

After being absent from UK markets since 1977, Johnnie Walker reintroduced the iconic Red Label in 1983, marking a significant comeback in its home market.

During 1986, Guinness acquired the Distillers Company (DCL), marking a significant consolidation in the spirits industry.

In the late 1990s, the direction of the Striding Man in Johnnie Walker's marketing was reversed as part of the 'Keep Walking' campaign.

In 1992, John Walker & Sons received its first Royal Warrant, a prestigious recognition of supplying goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label was launched in 1995, introducing a premium blend of Scotch whisky known for its smoothness and luxurious taste.

In 1997, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to create Diageo, a major player in the global alcoholic beverages market.

In 1999, Johnnie Walker launched its iconic 'Keep Walking' global advertising campaign, which cost £100 million. This campaign played a crucial role in the brand surpassing the 20 million case milestone.

In 2005, in celebration of the bicentenary of John Walker’s birth a limited-edition Blue Label decanter was released. Produced by Baccarat Crystal, the decanter featured a stopper engraved with a profile of John Walker, and contained a cask strength version of the Blue Label blend, bottled at 59.9% ABV.

In the 2007 film 'The Man from Earth', the main character John Oldman presents a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label, which is admired by his friends for its quality.

Johnnie Walker unveiled the premium Blue Label King George V variant in 2008, further solidifying its reputation for luxury and quality.

In 2009, the advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) created a short film titled 'The Man Who Walked Around the World' to outline the history of the Johnnie Walker brand.

Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 year old was initially launched as a travel retail exclusive for the Asian and Far East markets to replace the popular discontinued Gold Label 18 year old Centenary Blend. It combined 18 whiskies from across Scotland matured for at least 18 years, blended in an elegantly sweet Speyside style.

In 2012, Johnnie Walker's bottling plant in Kilmarnock was closed down, and production was moved to Diageo's bottling facilities in Leven and Shieldhall.

In 2013, Johnnie Walker relaunched the Red Label, reaffirming its presence and popularity in the whisky market.

In April 2015, Diageo produced the Johnny Drama whisky to promote the movie version of the Entourage series.

In September 2015, Diageo launched Johnnie Walker's largest global marketing campaign named 'Joy Will Take You Further', focusing on consumer behavior and expanding on the brand's 'Keep Walking' message.

Diageo unveiled the biggest global marketing campaign for Johnnie Walker in 2016, named 'Joy Will Take You Further', aiming to promote the brand's values of progress, optimism, and celebration.

Over the years, Johnnie Walker has expanded its portfolio to include a variety of new variants such as Double Black, Gold Label Reserve, Platinum Label, and Blue Label. Additionally, the blended malt Green Label has been reintroduced along with experimental releases under the Blender's Batch.

In October 2018, Diageo partnered with HBO to release 'White Walker by Johnnie Walker' whisky inspired by Game of Thrones as part of the marketing for the series' final season.

In mid-2019, Diageo released a collection of Game of Thrones-inspired single malt whiskies followed by two more whiskies by Johnnie Walker.

In July 2020, Johnnie Walker revealed plans to launch a new eco-friendly paper bottle, set to be released in early 2021.

Johnnie Walker, the renowned Scotch whisky brand, achieved the milestone of selling nearly 20 million cases a year in 2013. This success story traces back to its humble beginnings in a grocer's shop in Kilmarnock.