Diageo Global Travel has opened three Johnnie Walker House stores in Asia Pacific travel retail.
These include the first ever co-branded luxury space between the Scotch whisky brand and Chinese baijiu distillery Shui Jing Fang at Beijing Capital International Airport.
The 150sq m stand-alone Johnnie Walker House in Beijing has been launched in collaboration with Sunrise Duty Free in Terminal 3 Departures. Diageo said it was the largest boutique opening in the channel in Asia.
Two Johnnie Walker travel boutiques have opened at Incheon International Airport in collaboration with Lotte Duty Free. A 16sq m retail space is located in the East Main terminal with a 64.4sq m second retail space in the Concourse Main terminal.
All three “multi-sensory” embassies will feature a range of exclusive and rare malts, Diageo said.
Johnnie Walker House outlets aim to provide a luxurious and engaging shopping experience, while immersing customers in the history of both the Johnnie Walker brand and the whisky making experience.
A whisky scent bar and a luxury mentoring and engagement zone are among the features of the new embassies. Travellers in Beijing will be able to “touch, taste and smell” the elements that make up both Johnnie Walker Scotch and the Shui Jing Fang white spirit baijiu.
A ‘whisky constellation wall’ will also feature in Beijing, providing an index of single malt Scotch whiskies.
The boutique will offer a number of limited editions only available at the store, including Johnnie Walker House Zodiac Collection, Johnnie Walker House Fu-Lu Shou Limited Edition, Johnnie Walker House Five Gods of Wealth Series Limited Edition, Johnnie Walker House Exclusive Collection and Johnnie Walker House 1920 Epic Dates Collection. There will also be a wide range of offerings from Shui Jing Fang and a range of rare malts releases including The Singleton of Glendullan.
At Incheon International, Johnnie Walker House Zodiac Collection and Johnnie Walker House Exclusive Collection will be available to purchase in both boutiques. There will also be a range of rare malts releases including The Singleton of Glendullan.
Diageo Global Travel Managing Director Dayalan Nayager said the openings reinforced the company’s “long-term commitment to the travel retail channel in one of the most exciting travel retail regions worldwide”.
He said: “Both airports are key travel hubs, handling a combined 60 million passengers a year which make them critically important in the Johnnie Walker House global expansion strategy.
“Travellers are looking for innovative luxury shopping experiences that both educate and inspire them – the Johnnie Walker House encapsulates this for the brand.”
“We have stepped up our investment in luxury retail activations, taking a leadership position in transforming the category into a more engaging environment where we can tell the story of our spirits through knowledgeable brand ambassadors and impactful retail theatre whilst fulfilling our ambitions on bringing joy back to the journey by making the purchasing decision a simple and easy experience. The opening of three Johnnie Walker House retail showcase stores is another prime example of this.”
There are now 15 Johnnie Walker House embassies in global travel retail, including the concept’s recent debut in Europe at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
