De oprichter, William Grant, werd geboren in 1839. Toen hij begon te werken in de distilleerderij als boekhouder in 1866, had hij nauwelijks kunnen vermoeden dat zijn eigen merk whisky

Upon his father's death in 1820, a young grocer named Johnnie Walker invested his $417 inheritance into a grocery and spirits shop on High Street in Scotland. While Walker himself was a teetotaller, he sold a popular single malt whisky under the name Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky (at the time, it was common for each store to have its own unique spirits). Walker's store was moderately successful, but by the time he retired in the 1850s, whisky sales represented just 8% of his business.  

In 1857, Alexander Walker — Johnnie Walker's eldest son — inherited the store and began improving its selection of single malt Scotch whiskies. Alexander had previously apprenticed with a tea merchant in Glasgow and there, had learned the art of blending tea. Under his stewardship, the House of Walker began blending whisky and bottling it in an iconic, square bottle adorned with a slanted label.  

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Scotch Whisky celebrates Johnnie Walker's unbroken 190 year legacy of blending expertise. "Gold…