Acclaimed French creative director Olivier Rousteing announced as first cultural collaborator invited within Johnnie Walker Vault; Pushing boundaries of whisky creation by bringing together Rousteing’s trailblazing fashion vision and Master Blender Dr Emma Walker’s artistry and access to 500 of the rarest whiskies contained within Johnnie Walker Vault.
In the first release of a two-part collaboration, Couture Expression is a collection of four couture blends inspired by a sensorial journey through the seasons.
LONDON, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Johnnie Walker, has announced acclaimed French couture designer Olivier Rousteing as the first cultural partner under the Johnnie Walker Vault platform. Launched earlier this year, Johnnie Walker Vault is a new global luxury platform grounded in blending artistry – uniting bespoke blends, luxurious experiences and collaborations with cultural icons all under one visionary banner.
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First Unveiling: Couture Expression
Couture Expression is the inaugural limited-edition release from the Johnnie Walker Vault, co-created by Johnnie Walker Master Blender Dr Emma Walker and Olivier Rousteing. Drawing inspiration from the world of high fashion, the collection elevates blending artistry into new dimensions through a seasonal interpretation, setting a new standard of luxury whisky creation.
“Pushing boundaries through blending artistry has always been at the heart of my work, and opening the doors of the Johnnie Walker Vault to welcome such a progressive, creative talent of Olivier’s magnitude has been something that will stay with me forever.” says Master Blender, Dr. Emma Walker.
This launch brings together two creatives at the height of their craft, each renowned for pushing the boundaries of their art. In a hidden ‘atelier’ beneath Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Dr. Emma Walker, the brand’s Master Blender, and Rousteing collaborated to craft and design a collection of four blends – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter – capturing Rousteing’s personal and emotional connection to each season as well as its sensorial spirit.
“This has been an emotional journey,” says Rousteing. “What started as a collaboration to create one special release became a creative exploration of four seasons, just like a couture collection. For me, the seasons bring different energy and emotions – the feeling of rebirth in Spring, the hazy freedom of Summer, the self-reflection of Fall and the coziness of home and family in Winter – that Emma so beautifully captured in the collection.”
Couture Expression Blends
Each of the four blends in the collection begins with the same luxurious ‘heart’, including ghost whiskies from Brora and Port Dundas, setting a marker for the rarity of the collection. Dr. Walker then layered hand-selected whiskies from the Johnnie Walker Vault – a library of 500 rare, aged and ghost whiskies, personally curated and rotated from the very best of the 10 million casks of Scotch available to her as Master Blender. In an innovative fusion of creative minds, over the course of 12 months, Dr Walker translated Rousteing’s personal narrative into four sensorial journeys through flavour and time.
Emma Walker continued, “Olivier brought an emotional language to the blending creation, and we worked together to explore what whisky can express – technically, sensorially and artistically. We deliberately chose to use the same whiskies across several of the seasons, playing with proportions, textures and seasonal notes to create four distinct expressions of whiskies”
The Couture Expression blends encompass:
- Spring – Refreshing and floral. A celebration of renewal and transformation, with brightness drawn from a selection of rare whiskies including a 1985 Cragganmore, a rarely seen 1977 Caledonian and minerality from a treasured 1978 Port Ellen.
- Summer – Vibrant. An ode to summer with tropical fruit notes from a selection of rare whiskies including an experimental Cardhu Wine Cask Finish, and a 1990 Clynelish wrapped in the richness of 1988 Benrinnes.
- Fall – Textured and bold. A time of self-reflection and the relentless pursuit of excellence, this expression features an experimental Teaninich chocolate malt, layered with smoke from the 1978 Port Ellen.
- Winter – Deep and contemplative. Reflecting ‘coming home’ and the warmth of sharing time and moments with family and friends. The richest of the four, dialling up Islay malts from Port Ellen and Brora with a mulled wine, sweetness from the 1988 Benrinnes.
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