Johnnie Walker reveals its lightest Scotch whisky bottle

Johnnie Walker has unveiled its lightest Scotch whisky glass bottle to date, the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra bottle, weighing just 180 g without the closure. 

Created over a five-year period, the whisky maker worked with external glass makers, rethinking all aspects of how the bottle is designed, made and transported: from hand-blowing the glass to using a teardrop shape rather than the traditional square bottle.

As part of the Diageo Spirit of Progress action plan, Johnnie Walker aims to reduce the weight of glass used in its packaging; an ambition that is aimed at reducing the amount of carbon emissions associated with packaging.

Whilst the technology is not yet available to launch bottles of this weight at scale permanently, the knowledge Johnnie Walker has garnered is already being applied to lightweighting projects across the Diageo portfolio. In the course of its five years of research, the brand has been granted a UK patent and, to encourage further progress in the industry in the sustainable packaging sector — and in a first for Diageo — a licence to the patent will be offered on a royalty-free basis to anyone in the world who wishes to share in these discoveries.

In celebration of this development, only 888 bottles will be produced and put on the market in 2025 in selected markets worldwide.

Johnnie Walker Global Brand Director Jennifer English said, “This new, lightweight bottle is a thing of exquisite beauty; but more importantly, it demonstrates what is possible when it comes to lightweighting glass. We will continue applying these learnings across our range, taking more progressive strides as we look to the future of Scotch.”

Image credit: Johnnie Walker.