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Meet the maker: Joao Matos, Johnnie Walker
The Global Marketing and Innovation Director for Johnnie Walker talks to Douglas Blyde about the iconic brand’s past, present and future, including turning pollution into ink, and his own love for history…
Where did Johnnie Walker begin?
Johnnie Walker traces its roots back to the establishment of our founder’s grocery shop in 1820. After John’s father died in 1819, the family farm was sold with the money used to set him up with his own grocer’s shop in the thriving East Ayrshire town of Kilmarnock. In those days, most grocers stocked a line of rarely consistent single malts which wasn’t good enough for John, so he started blending them to create a whisky which tasted good every time. It proved an extremely popular addition to the inventory, with whiskies sold under the name of “John Walker & Sons” though consumers preferred to call us simply “Johnnie Walker” and the rest is history…
Why are the labels on the Johnnie Walker whiskies slanting?
Set at a 20-degree angle, it allows for bigger text, making the bottle stand out more behind the bar. A wonderful example of early innovation from the Walker family.
Would John Walker have been proud of your work on the brand he began?
I hope so. Our entire team are very aware of the incredible 200-year journey that Johnnie Walker has been on as a brand and the huge responsibilities which come with that legacy. We are acutely aware that we come from a long line of innovators, including John Walker, and we know that new ideas and fresh thinking are at the core of driving sustained brand growth.
On the subject of innovation, what is AIR-INK®?
Last June we launched our Johnnie Walker Black Label Keep Walking City Collection in collaboration with Air-Ink. The amazing bottle design features a bespoke piece of artwork which brings to life each one of the six cities featured thus far in the collection using incredible Air-Ink technology which converts pollution into ink. They sold out within days of launching in Warsaw, Madrid and Bangkok. We of course cannot claim that it will save the planet, however, it is part of our Next Steps initiative, started in 2021 and is our most ambitious sustainability drive to date, putting the focus firmly on more sustainable socialising for everyone.
What is the Blue Labels Cities of the Future project?
This is a story which begins in 2020 – when Johnnie Walker celebrated its bicentenary. The idea being to look to the future to create an inspired vision of tomorrow – journeying with Johnnie Walker through a mind-expanding utopian vision of world cities 200 years from now. An innovative collaboration with renowned digital artist Luke Halls which sees the brand taking a bold step into the future. Exploring themes of geoengineering, AI empowerment and physics-defying technologies, this new collection of designs for Johnnie Walker Blue Label reimagines a thriving and vibrant future society which has transformed cityscapes and skylines, embracing new scientific developments to push the limits of what’s possible. The collection features cities including London, Hainan, Taipei, Mexico City, Seoul, Sydney, Bangkok, Berlin, Singapore and also… Mars. You can discover a rich world of flavour as you are transported into this world of 2220 by scanning an NFC on the front of the bottle with your smartphone.
And Johnnie Walker Blonde?
We launched Johnnie Walker Blonde in May 2022 – a new style of Scotch which is the culmination of years of blending experimentation, pushing bright and vibrant flavours further than ever before. It is made using bright wheat whiskies from Cameronbridge and fruity malt whiskies from Cardhu, matured in sweet American oak to add toffee and caramel, brought together with fresh, fruity flavours from the breadth of Scotland. There is a lot of craft, combined with science, to get to an outstanding liquid experience offering subtle fruit and a smooth vanilla finish. We designed Johnnie Walker Blonde for the casual, early evening occasion – appealing to a new generation of whisky drinkers who are after an accessible drink for their casual get-together occasions. It’s a whisky which is designed to be playfully mixed.
What is the Harris tweed edition?
Late last year, Johnnie Walker Princes Street launched the first liquid ever matured in casks in the Whisky Makers Cellar in that building – Diageo’s smallest maturation site – and part of the celebration of this was a collaboration with Harris Tweed, the legendary Scottish textile house. The Johnnie Walker x Harris Tweed collaboration featured a beautifully designed bottle of the Johnnie Walker Limited Edition Princes Street Blend, accompanied by a bespoke Harris Tweed carry bag.
Why should we visit the Princes Street Johnnie Walker experience in Edinburgh?
Innovation is at the heart of my role and Johnnie Walker Princes Street offers so much from this perspective: from the dispensation systems which allows over 800 flavour combinations, to the creative force of the Johnnie Walker Princes Street collective which will produce unique and imaginative blends. There are endless reasons to visit, but as a whisky lover, I would highlight the Journey of Flavour tour – where visitors’ personal flavour preferences are mapped with drinks tailored to their palate. There’s also the state-of-the-art retail space where shoppers can select from rare and exclusive whiskies and even have them personalised. And of course, the bars – from the 1820 Cocktail Bar featuring unparalleled views of the Edinburgh skyline, to the Explorers’ Bothy stocked with 150 whiskies. There is a lot to experience and explore.
How did you come to work with Diageo 16 years ago?
When I reflect on it, I joined Diageo without fully knowing what the company was about, though I was certainly blown away when I saw some of the most exciting spirits brands in the world under one house – Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Smirnoff, Baileys and J&B, the latter being a powerful brand in my home country of Portugal. So let’s just say I wasn’t very hard to convince to sign my first contract with Diageo. While I love the brands, it was the company culture which kept me engaged on a daily basis. Our company motto is “celebrate life – every day, everywhere”. And this isn’t just a throwaway phrase, it’s truly engrained in our mindset, behaviour, and belief. If you interact with any of the 28,000 people who work for this company, you’ll see this motto translates to the way we celebrate our own individuality – employees, partners and all our stakeholders. So, that’s what kept me for so long in Diageo. I joined because of the brands and stayed because of the culture.
Of the global markets you have worked in, what has been the most dynamic?
India. It has 1.4 billion people speaking over 400 languages and endless socio-economic differences from Mumbai to Calcutta, and Delhi to Goa, which get even starker when contrasting urban and rural India, where two-thirds of the population live. So, you have in India all the complexities and challenges which could hold an economy back. And yet, it’s one of the fastest-growing economies and on track to become the third-biggest GDP in the next few years. Whilst there are many areas of social and economic under-development which are a cause for concern, it is the dynamism of the new India, which is really driving such growth. I was particularly amazed at how Indians developed a model of more inclusive growth, enabled by a massive digital transformation. More than 20 million businesses are digitally empowered. 400 million people use digital payments. If you’re walking in Delhi’s streets and feel tempted to buy some of their amazing fruit from a streetcar, you’ll certainly be able to pay for it from your mobile. Or order a rickshaw from your Uber application. It is fascinating how this digital transformation is building some of the most exciting businesses, either the evolution of big corporations or disrupting start-ups, as well as allowing more individual Indians to participate in the big economy, who were much more limited previously.
And which territory has been the dearest to you?
A popular quote I loved is: “Everything will work out – God is Brazilian”, says a lot about how positive and optimistic they are and that really gets the people going in good and bad times. Brazilians who are incredibly welcoming, optimistic, outgoing and with an infectious verve of life. My wife, Francisca and I were very happy, having made long-standing friendships, enjoyed their fabulous culture (the food!) and visited some of the most exciting places on the planet. And yes, we have a blood connection with the country, with our first two children having been born there.
If not a drinks marketing and innovation director, what would you have been?
A historian. I always loved studying the dreams, challenges and inventions of previous civilisations. How history influenced the present and will have its say on the future. This fascination with history is in my blood – my father, mother and elder brother are all academic historians. There was even a time I considered becoming one though my parents thought there were already enough opinionated historians under one roof!
What one book, would you take to a desert island?
“The Lusiadas”, an epic poem book that describes the discovery of the sea route to India. A reminder for us that there are more seas than sailors.
And album?
Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue.” A bit of jazz would set the right mood on the island.
And luxury (aside from a bottle of Johnnie Walker)?
Francisca, my amazing wife. We’ve been on a world tour for many years and I can’t imagine another adventure without her.
Do you personally covet rare releases of Johnnie Walker?
One of the greatest things about my job is that I get to taste all the new liquids we develop. So, when I cannot get hold of the final product, I comfort my desire with the reminder of the great taste experience I have had.
What keeps you awake at night?
My three children who are all under six! Jokes aside, the responsibility of working on Johnnie Walker – one of the biggest and most loved whisky brands in the world – certainly runs through my mind in those late-night moments. Not just the responsibility we have to our shareholders but to our stakeholders in society more generally. As a brand loved by millions, and with a big voice in society, we have the duty to inspire the world to move forward in areas of collective progress. In fact, that is what Keep Walking is all about…