The whisky brand celebrates the Lunar New Year with a limited-edition offering in a gorgeous bottle designed by Shan Jiang
To usher in the Chinese New Year, Johnnie Walker has worked with Shanghai-born, London-based artist Shan Jiang, who is no stranger to the brand. Shan has designed visual masterpieces for the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, 2020 Nomad Japan and Malaysia series, as well as the Johnnie Walker XR21 for the Lunar New Year. Inspired by the architecture and traditions of Shanghai and Chinese Meticulous Art, the artist continues to come up with bold and colourful illustrations in each new series.
The Year of the Tiger limited edition features an intricate design that is both eye-catching and elegant. Jiang’s design for the bottle depicts the tiger as a symbol of strength and progress; it stands firm among the mountain clouds that hover above a sleek and modern metropolis, signifying prosperity and progress for the year ahead.
Most of the illustration features shades of blue — the perfect complement to the Johnnie Walker Blue Label — but what stands out are the traditional Chinese New Year colours of red and gold. Taking inspiration from a famous Chinese idiom or chengyu, “like adding wings to a tiger”, golden wings are added to the tiger. The idiom is about taking something great, like the tiger, and making it even more powerful with wings. Vibrant, majestic and impressive, this limited-edition bottle of whisky is a great way to ring in the new year.
“I like to think that the thought and time that go into my design echo the craft of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Inside every bottle of Blue Label are rare, handpicked whiskies — each with a distinctive character. I hope to bring that to my work,” says Shan.
As awe-inspiring as the bottle is, let’s not forget the special amber liquid contained within. Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a blend of Scotland’s most exceptional whiskies and naturally, it has won many awards, including six Le Monde Selection Grand Golds and three Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The Blue Label was created to commemorate the Old Highland Whisky blend, which was created by John Walker’s son, Alexander, in 1867. It is a credit to its prestigious heritage as only one in 10,000 casks in the distillery’s reserves of over 10 million maturing Scotch whiskies makes the cut to be labelled as Johnnie Walker Blue Label. This even includes the irreplaceable casks from long-forgotten “ghost” distilleries.
The Johnnie Walker Blue Label has a complicated palate. Rich and smoky, this drink is reminiscent of hazelnuts, honey, sherry and oranges, with notes of dark chocolate and ginger. This mix of flavour is balanced with a long and smooth finish. While each individual has his or her own preference for how to enjoy a dram — neat, with water or with ice — the whisky brand suggests sipping it neat with a chaser of ice water.
Get yourself a bottle of the Year of the Tiger Johnnie Walker Blue Label from Shoppee or Whisky.my. Available while stock lasts.