he first time that I noticed Johnnie Walker was when I was working in a bar, you know you have all the bottles behind you and it is your job to know about them. So at first it was just a natural curiosity and for me when I saw the square bottle and the label at an angle of 24 degrees, it really stood out at the time it was the black label that I picked up and it struck me as unique, because back then lots of other bottles were just normal and I wanted to know more about them. I found out that the Black label was a deluxe blended whisky and I wanted to know more about what that meant, my curiosity drove me to find out more and then when I discovered it was the best selling scotch whisky in the world I wanted to be associated with that as well, you know we all like to be associated with success. And eventually through working with Di Angelo I got closer to the brand, I got to know about people who make it, how it’s blended, in fact the current master blender for Johnnie Walker whisky works very close to my house. It was all these put together that got me even closer to the brand and eventually I became their ambassador to tell more people about it.
Thomas Jones – Johnnie Walker Global Ambassador
am Tom Jones and I live in Scotland. I have been working specifically for the whisky industry for twelve years, before that I have been in the hospitality business for 25 years; Hotels, Restaurants and Bars. I have a passion for food and drink as well, and because I live in Scotland and enjoy walking around in the country side and constantly seeing little distilleries, because they are all over Scotland, my interest for Scotch whisky just kept growing and I was lucky enough to get a job working in the industry. So it was my passion for the hospitality industry at first that drove my interest into whisky, which then got me interested in working with Johnnie Walker.
About ‘Johnnie Walker’
ohnnie Walker as a young lad started the business as a grocery store, he sold tea, everyday stuff and of course whisky, there are in fact records dating back to 1825 were he mentioned where he was getting the whisky and the type of whisky he was buying. Over time he sons came into the business and then his grandsons and they took the business from a grocery store to a being Spirit merchants and then eventually into a blending house, the house of Johnnie Walker and Sons. So we went from people who just bought and blended to people who made the whisky and shaped the flavours from the very beginning and brought them together as we do now, with over 7 million carts of whisky maturing into 28 different distilleries producing all the different flavours that we want and of course our team and master blender bringing those whisky’s together to create for example the Black label, the Red label which is more popular here in Nigeria, because it has a more youthful mix, Gold Label, Green label and Blue label.
I think it’s a brand that is associated with success, because if we are the biggest selling brand in the world you can’t necessarily say we are only for the elite. Our various products are enjoyed in various countries all over the world, so we don’t close doors on anyone; everyone is welcome to enjoy any of our products.
We are involved in a couple of global projects; the formula 1, were we promote ‘Drinking responsibly’ in Africa we are involved in the ‘Water for Life’ project throughout many African countries ensuring and helping to provide portable drinking water.
t’s my first time in Nigeria, for me it’s about building relationships, getting to experience more events like the Annual Society Event and Whisky Master Class, also meeting new people and getting to know the team here. The experience has been really short, because I have only seen small pockets of Lagos; one of the things I was thinking about was the over nine million people in the city compared to about five million people in the whole of Scotland where I am from. So it’s got to be an enormous city, but I am still marveled by the little I have seen from driving around, so we are looking forward to coming back and getting to know more about the city and indeed Nigeria. But it seems like a great and a vibrant city with very passionate people.
hichever product you choose, the Red or Black label, it is best enjoyed in the company of friends, and on social occasions.
[caption id=«attachment_805» align=«alignleft» width=«480» caption=«In the mix»][/caption]
[caption id=«attachment_804» align=«alignleft» width=«480» caption=«telling the tale»][/caption]
[caption id=«attachment_803» align=«alignleft» width=«480» caption=«Tom at work»][/caption]
[caption id=«attachment_801» align=«alignleft» width=«480» caption=«Johnnie Walker Global Ambassador»][/caption]
[caption id=«attachment_802» align=«alignleft» width=«480» caption=«Thomas Jones & Teddy»][/caption]
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
Recommended articles
You should avoid boat rides for these 5 reasons
How to save a life by doing CPR during an emergency
Avoid these 3 common mistakes when cooking fried rice
Okin biscuits and 9 other snacks millennials loved as children
How 1 woman became first lady of 2 different countries — she married 2 presidents
How parents, teachers can recognise when a child is being bullied
It's illegal to publicly celebrate your birthday in this country
Here are Dagrin's 10 best rap verses on the 14th anniversary of his death