China: Johnnie Walker House opens in Beijing

Travelers who enjoy Scotch are raising a glass to celebrate the opening of Johnnie Walker House, a new upscale whiskey center in Beijing.

The four-level club, which the company calls “the world’s largest embassy for luxury Scotch whiskey outside of Scotland,” offers rare whiskeys, personalized whiskey blends and culinary fusion pairings provided by in-house chef Phoebe Cleland.

The Beijing House is Johnny Walker‘s second in China; another opened last year in Shanghai.

“The Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai has been our most successful experiment in marketing and commercial innovation in Asia to date,” said Gilbert Ghostine, president of Diageo Asia Pacific. (Diageo is the liquor company’s parent corporation.) “This experience has brought new energy to Johnnie Walker’s century-long story of progress in China.”

The Beijing center includes a historical re-creation of founder John Walker’s 19th century grocery shop in Scotland, a blending room, a “whiskey constellation wall” that provides an index for single-malt Scotch whiskeys, and a distillery bar, where nearly 10,000 copper pipes have been used to simulate a working distillery.

“Johnnie Walker House Beijing is a multisensory experience,” said General Manager Lawrence Law, who described it as a showcase for Scotch whiskey culture, a luxury boutique, a private club and an artistic space.

The Johnnie Walker House Beijing, which is in the Dongcheng district, is open Tuesdays through Sundays.

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