Diageo releases new format John Walker & Sons XR 21YO
Diageo GTME has released a new format John Walker & Sons XR 21 Year Old Blended Scotch, available exclusively in travel retail.
The John Walker XR 21 Year Old expression was first released in 2010.The new format 1-litre John Walker & Sons XR 21YO was announced earlier this week. The refreshed decanter has an art-deco design, recalling the era when Sir Alexander Walker, grandson of the brand’s founder, was master blender.
John Walker & Sons XR 21 YO was originally released in 2010 honouring Walker and his knighthood in 1920.
Walker was subsequently linked to right wing, anti-Semitic, fascist sympathising group Right Club, an organisation which circulated pro-German literature during World War II.
Walker is alleged to have donated money to the Right Club and was named in its “Red Book” of members.
The links between Sir Alexander Walker and the Right Club are not new. Numerous reports and publications cite the connection, including an article by Paul Lashmar published in The Independent in 2000 and Robert Switky’s book Wealth of an Empire published in 2013.
“Sir Alexander Walker contributed significantly to his country during and following WWI and it is those actions that were the basis for his knighthood, awarded to him in 1920. It is that honour that we have recognised,” a Diageo spokesperson told The Spirits Business when asked to clarify why Sir Alexander Walker continues to be honoured.
