TWO DECADES IN THE MAKING: DEFINITIVE JOHNNIE WALKER COLLECTION COMES TO AUCTION – Auction Whisky News
TWO DECADES IN THE MAKING: DEFINITIVE JOHNNIE WALKER COLLECTION COMES TO AUCTION
The world’s No. 1 Scotch whisky brand is chronicled through more than 3,200 bottles, miniatures and pieces of memorabilia assembled by one collector over twenty years.
Whisky Auctioneer will hold a landmark sale this September featuring the largest and most comprehensive collection of Johnnie Walker ever brought to auction. Offering collectors, and dedicated followers of the Striding Man, the unprecedented opportunity to explore the history of one of the world’s most recognisable Scotch whisky brands through more than 3,200 bottles, miniatures and pieces of original advertising and memorabilia, the auction will run from 11-21 September.
At the heart of the collection is the 20 year story of Frans Op den Kamp, whose Johnnie Walker journey began in 1999 with a $130 bottle of Blue Label bought on his way home from a business trip to New York. Over two decades, his fascination evolved into an encyclopaedic knowledge of the brand, with fellow collectors and industry figures turning to him for help dating, valuing and authenticating bottles.
Frans Op den Kamp, collector and consignor, commented:
“Johnnie Walker has been a constant companion throughout my collecting journey. What began with a bottle of Blue Label bought in 1999 grew into more than two decades of learning and travelling from discovering rare market-specific bottlings to bringing together the full story of Johnnie Walker across a century.
“Parting with the collection is certainly not easy, but I feel I have achieved what I set out to do. I hope these bottles find their way to collectors who discover something that resonates with them, whether that’s a particular whisky, a moment in Johnnie Walker’s history or simply the thrill of the hunt. Most of all, I hope it inspires a renewed appreciation for the art of blending and the story of Scotch whisky.”
The collection spans more than a century of Johnnie Walker history, from early 20th-century Old Highland Whisky bottlings through to sought-after modern limited editions and ultra-rare releases. The archive forms a complete visual and physical record of the brand’s evolution from the twentieth century, comprising more than 1,600 full-size bottles, over 600 miniatures, and more than 1,000 original pieces of advertising and memorabilia.
Highlights among the historic archive include pre-1968 corked Black, Red, and Swing bottlings, as well as rare single malt bottlings from Cardhu, Talisker, and Mortlach that explicitly reference John Walker on their original labels. Beside these historic gems sit highly prized modern releases, such as the 1805 Celebration Blend – crafted to mark the 200th anniversary of John Walker’s birth, with only 200 bottles ever gifted to individuals recognised for “significant contributions to modern life”, and the ultra-exclusive Signature Blend by Jenson Button, created by the Formula One world champion and limited to just 25 bottles sold by private invitation in Shanghai.
Consigned from California, the collection has been brought to Scotland, where Whisky Auctioneer’s team is carefully cataloguing, photographing and preparing the archive for its global audience of collectors. The sale builds on Whisky Auctioneer’s experience handling significant private collections from around the world, including The Perfect Collection, which was consigned from Colorado and became the most valuable single-owner whisky collection ever offered at auction at the time.
Joe Wilson, Head Curator and Spirits Specialist at Whisky Auctioneer, said:
“What makes this collection so fascinating is the completeness of the story it tells. Johnnie Walker’s history goes far beyond the global brand we know today, and these early bottlings, labels and memorabilia offer a unique glimpse into its twentieth century evolution and role in shaping Scotch whisky.
“The sheer breadth of the collection is a testament to Frans’ 20 years of dedication. Bringing together this level of completeness is an extraordinary achievement and there’s something here to spark an interest at every level, offering a fascinating way into the world of whisky collecting.”
Beyond the liquid itself, the auction boasts an unprecedented marketing and advertising archive containing over 1,000 pieces of historic advertising and memorabilia dating from the early 1900s to the present day. Offering a unique cultural window into the globally recognised brand’s history, design, and culture, the archive illustrates how the Striding Man logo and Johnnie Walker’s visual identity evolved across global markets throughout the twentieth century.
Dr. Nick Morgan, Whisky Historian and author of the Johnnie Walker bicentennial history, A Long Stride: The Story of the World’s No.1 Scotch Whisky, commented:
“Johnnie Walker’s history is, in many ways, the history of Scotch whisky becoming a global drink in the twentieth century. Having spent years researching the brand, I know how complex and fascinating that story is and what makes Frans’ collection so remarkable is the way it brings that history together in physical form to tell it.
“These objects reveal how the brand evolved from the first appearance of the iconic Striding Man figure in 1908 into the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky. Collections like this are invaluable because they allow us to experience history not just through documents and written records, but through the bottles, labels and objects that people actually bought, drank and occasionally kept for posterity. Frans’ dedication has created an extraordinary collection and a unique insight into the evolution and enduring power of the world’s No. 1 Scotch whisky”.
To register for the auction, The Johnnie Walker Collection: One Hundred Years of Striding, and receive first access to auction previews, collector’s guides, and free artwork downloads, click here.
Auction highlights:
In numbers:
- Over 1,600 full-size bottles
- Over 600 miniatures
- Over 1,000 advertisements and pieces of memorabilia
- Over 280 Blue Label bottlings
- Over 200 Red Label bottlings
- Over 500 Black Label bottlings
- Over 100 pre-1968 corked Black, Red and Swing bottlings
- 20 years of collecting by the consignor
Lot highlights:
Historic Johnnie Walker
- Old Highland Whisky
- Special Old Highland Whisky
- Extra Special Old Highland Whisky
- Early Black, Red and Swing bottlings
- Cardhu, Talisker and Mortlach bottlings referencing John Walker
Rare and modern highlights
- A Complete Directors Set
- 1805 Celebration Blend
- John Walker & Sons Signature Blend Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Edition
- A Complete Epic Dates series
- Rare Blue Label special editions including Robbie Burns, Kilmarnock FC, Bruce Lee.
- Special limited editions including Selfridges 100 Years, Gold Kilmarnoch 400 Years, Hill Street Opening 1956.
The advertising archive:
- Over 1,000 pieces of advertising and memorabilia
- Spanning the early 1900s to the present day
- Providing insight into the evolution of Johnnie Walker’s branding, advertising and visual identity
Whisky Auctioneer is the leading global platform for buying and selling whisky and spirits at auction. Founded in 2013 by whisky enthusiast Iain McClune, the company has grown into a trusted destination for collectors and enthusiasts worldwide, with offices in Scotland, London and Utrecht.
Whisky Auctioneer’s monthly online auctions feature one of the most extensive selections of rare and collectible spirits available, spanning Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey and world whiskies including iconic American and Japanese releases. The platform is designed to make the secondary market more accessible, connecting buyers and sellers across the globe.
In 2021, Whisky Auctioneer made auction history during the sale of The Perfect Collection, when a bottle of The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare 60 Year Old achieved a £1 million hammer price – the first bottle of whisky to reach that figure in an online-only auction.
