George Paterson Walker (1864 – 1926) was a Scottish businessman who was the grandson of John ‘Johnnie’ Walker of the whisky brand.

Biography

He was the oldest son of

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

maker Alexander Walker and took over the family business'

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

office in 1888, overseeing distribution and marketing. After their father's death in 1889, his brother

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

stepped into the production and blending role, eventually creating

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended ...

'' ''Old Highland (white label)'' and ''Special Old Highland (red label)'' (adding them to the ''Extra Special Old Highland (black Label)'' created by their father in 1865). In 1909 George saw the introduction of the Striding Man logo. And the rebranding of the whisky blends as ''

White Label'', ''Red Label'' and ''Black Label''.

The Striding Man

George had wanted to create an advertising device that would be instantly recognisable to customers. The solution emerged during lunch one day with cartoonist of the time, Tom Browne. In response to the challenge, Browne drew the first Striding Man then and there on the back of a menu in the restaurant. The words "Born 1820, still going strong" were added. : ''1820 was year George's grandfather John purchased a grocery and spirits shop in

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The blend that became ''Black Label'' was actually introduced in 1865 by George's father.''

External links

George Paterson Walker

Sources

''Scotch Whisky: A Liquid History'' by Charles MacLean. ©2003 Charles MacLean & Cassell Illustrated. 1864 births 1926 deaths Whisky distillers 19th-century Scottish businesspeople 20th-century Scottish businesspeople {{Scotland-business-bio-stub