P.M. BRIEFING : Pricey Johnnie Walker for Japan
From Times Wire Services
TOKYO —
Johnnie Walker plans a May Day launch for a new $60 Scotch whiskey developed exclusively for the Japanese market, the brand’s Japanese distributor announced today.
Johnnie Walker Gold Label 15 YO, the first new Johnnie Walker whiskey since the 1910 launch of its Black and Red labels, has been tailored to meet an increasingly discriminating Japanese taste, said Shunji Moritomi, president of UDJ International Liquor Marketing Ltd.
The whiskey will be sold in a 25 fluid ounce bottle with a gold label. It will be priced at $62.50, including Japan’s 3% consumption tax.
“The company hopes the launch of this pricey product will help it regain the prestige it once had in Japan,” Moritomi said.