NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnnie
Walker is excited to announce the official release of Johnnie
Walker Black Label The Director's Cut – a limited-edition
whisky developed in collaboration with visionary Blade Runner
2049 director Denis Villeneuve
and Johnnie Walker Master Blender Jim
Beveridge. The new blend comes thirty-five years after
Johnnie Walker Black Label appeared in the original Blade
Runner film as an iconic whisky of the future.
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8174551-johnnie-walker-whisky-blade-runner-2049
The unique, custom blend and the futuristic bottle were created
in partnership with Blade Runner 2049, opening in theaters
October 6. Both showcase Johnnie
Walker's commitment to progress and Alcon Entertainment's
dedication to maintaining the legacy of the original sci-fi
classic. Fans first saw a peek of the new bottle at Alcon
Entertainment's Blade Runner 2049 Experience presented by
Johnnie Walker at San Diego Comic-Con. The bottle will also appear
in the new film.
To celebrate the promotional collaboration surrounding the film,
Johnnie Walker has released four digital vignettes featuring
Villeneuve, who discusses the project. "Like many fans, I remember
the Johnnie Walker bottle from the first film, so it was a unique
privilege to collaborate with Johnnie Walker on designing a totally
original, custom bottle for the new movie," he says. "It was also a
once-in-a-lifetime experience to help create the limited-edition
Director's Cut blend, which perfectly captures the complex and
mysterious world of Blade Runner 2049."
Beveridge noted, "What we have created in Johnnie Walker Black
Label The Director's Cut is something really special that fans will
be able to relate to and whisky drinkers will love. I was truly
inspired by Villeneuve's artistic vision for Blade Runner
2049 and how it could come to life in this new blend. I learned
that filmmaking is much like blending--you have to constantly be
committed to creating the best possible outcome. Johnnie Walker
blending tradition dates back to 1820 and I'm honored to carry on
the legacy and collective memory of our other past blenders to
ensure that the same whisky enjoyed today can be enjoyed
responsibly in 2049."
Johnnie Walker has created a series of cocktail videos featuring
five innovative Blade Runner 2049-inspired cocktails: The
Deckard; Ode to Dreams; Penicillin 2049; Quest; and Ahara. These
custom cocktails are prepared by some of the country's leading
bartenders, including Ezra Star and
Tenzin Samdo of Boston
and Sam Anderson of New York
City, giving fans a taste of the upcoming film.
Only 39,000 bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director's
Cut have been produced and will be available in select countries
around the world while supplies last. The rich, smooth blend has
aromatic and vanilla flavors, with clouds of smokiness and will be
bottled at 49% ABV - a nod to the futuristic period in which
Blade Runner 2049 is set.
Whatever the century, whatever the universe, Johnnie Walker's
commitment to the spirit of human progress endures. As we toast to
the future, the makers of Johnnie Walker remind you to enjoy your
whisky responsibly.
Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director's Cut is available for
Blade Runner fans in the US and other select countries with an SRP
from $89.99. Prices may vary.
About Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director's Cut
Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director's Cut is a new,
experimental Scotch Whisky created by Master Blender Jim Beveridge
in collaboration with visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The limited-edition blend is
inspired by Villeneuve's hugely anticipated film Blade Runner
2049 and is housed in a unique and futuristic bottle.
Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director's Cut is a dark, rich,
smooth blend, with sweet fruity vanilla flavours and clouds of
smokiness. It is bottled at 49% ABV both for added intensity and as
a nod to the futuristic period in which Blade Runner 2049 is
set.
About Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker is the world's number one Scotch Whisky brand,
enjoyed by people in over 180 countries around the world. Since the
time of its founder, John Walker,
those who blend its whiskies have pursued flavour and quality above
else.
Six generations of skilled Master Blenders have pioneered and
crafted bold new flavours that have transformed a small Scottish
grocery store business, founded in 1820, into an international
whisky business selling stylish, authentic, and iconic blends.
Today's range of award-winning whiskies includes Johnnie Walker
Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Gold Label
Reserve, Aged 18 Years and Blue Label. Together they account for
nearly 19 million cases sold annually (IWSR, 2016), making Johnnie
Walker the most popular Scotch Whisky brand in the world.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding
collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal,
J&B, Buchanan's and
Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff and
Cîroc vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don
Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the
New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and our products are sold in more
than 180 countries around the world. For more information about
Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at
www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking
resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways
to share best practice.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
About Blade Runner 2049:
From Oscar-nominated director Denis
Villeneuve (Arrival) comes Alcon Entertainment's
science fiction thriller Blade Runner 2049, the much-anticipated
sequel to the acclaimed sci-fi film Blade Runner.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade
runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the
potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's
discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick
Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for
30 years.
The film stars Oscar nominees Ryan
Gosling (La La Land) as K, and Harrison Ford (Witness, the Star
Wars films), reprising the role of Rick
Deckard. The international cast also includes Ana de Armas (War Dogs), Sylvia Hoeks (Renegades), Robin Wright (Wonder Woman), Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire),
Carla Juri (Brimstone), and
Lennie James (The Walking
Dead), with Dave Bautista (the
Guardians of the Galaxy films) and Oscar winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club).
Blade Runner 2049 was produced by Oscar nominees
Andrew A. Kosove & Broderick Johnson (The Blind Side) and
Bud Yorkin & Cynthia Yorkin. Ridley
Scott, who directed the first Blade Runner, served as
an executive producer, together with Tim
Gamble, Frank Giustra, Yale
Badick, Val Hill and Bill Carraro. Villeneuve directed the film from
a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael
Green, story by Fancher, based on characters from the novel
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
Opening on October 6, 2017, in 2D
and 3D in select theaters and IMAX, "Blade Runner 2049" is a
presentation of Alcon Entertainment and will be distributed
domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment
Company, and internationally by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
www.bladerunnermovie.com
About Sony Pictures Entertainment:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony
Entertainment Inc., which is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global
operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and
distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution;
television networks; digital content creation and distribution;
operation of studio facilities; and development of new
entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE's Motion
Picture Group includes film labels Columbia Pictures, TriStar
Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Animation, and Sony Pictures
Classics. For additional information, visit
http://www.sonypictures.com.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. Imported by Diageo, Norwalk, CT.
Blade Runner 2049 © 2017 Alcon, WBEI and CTMG. All Rights
Reserved. Rated R.
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SOURCE Diageo