Blended scotch giant Johnnie Walker has unveiled a new, limited edition collaborative whisky package with the popular Netflix show “Squid Games” in celebration of the series' upcoming second season. Johnnie Walker, a sponsor of the 76th Emmy Awards last month, is increasingly seeking so-called "branded sponsorship" content like many big players, but Squid Games is certainly a new and different departure.
This “Squid Games” involvement for Johnnie Walker isn’t about a new whisky, as the brand in focus is the classic Black Label but with some special packaging. The slanted label features the familiar Johnnie Walker Striding Man logo, but here he’s had a slight change of attire—into something closely akin to the green tracksuit worn by the show’s characters. The effort also includes an expansive launch event list, that began with a “takeover” in Times Square to mark its launch on October 1st and extends to Squid Game: The Experience, an immersive gaming event opening on October 11th, 2024, which of course will be serving Johnnie Walker Black.
Touted as a collectible both for whisky lovers and fans of the show, the bottles are limited to numbers 001 to 456, representing the number of players in the show. Also in the mix is a new cocktail called The 456, created by New York-based mixologist Ginn Choe, which blends Johnnie Walker Black with Korean ingredients including honey for sweetener and barley tea known as bori-cha, which Choe says marries well with the spice and vanilla notes of Johnnie Walker Black.
“Squid Games" is an explosive South Korean thriller that will release its second season on December 26th, and is now in production of its third and final season slated for 2025. The show’s storyline centers on 456 contestants who vie for a coveted prize by playing a series of potentially deadly children’s games. Noted for its blunt brutality and controversial cultural commentary on violence, it has gained a massive following since its launch in 2021. The second season begins on December