Johnnie Walker Made a Whisky Inspired by ‘Blade Runner 2049’
Blade Runner is one of the coolest, most enduring sci-fi movies ever, so we’re naturally stoked for Blade Runner 2049, the ridiculously anticipated sequel that’s been 35 years in the making. But even if you aren’t a fan of futuristic dystopia and/or Ryan Gosling, there’s one tie-in to the film that should have you plenty intrigued: Blade Runner hooch.
Johnnie Walker has just released a limited edition of its signature Black Label called “The Director’s Cut,” which is a collaboration between master blender Jim Beveridge and Blade Runner 2049’s helmer, Denis Villeneuve.
If you’re wondering why the fall blockbuster (out October 6) needs its own whisky, clearly you don’t know your Blade Runner. In the original flick, Harrison Ford’s Deckard glugs Black Label in his office and apartment, so Villeneuve wanted to honor the iconic product placement with some fresh new corporate synergy.
The new blend is basically old-school Black Label with what the whisky-maker calls a “contemporary twist.” Expect a dark, rich, smooth taste with extra smokiness and a “touch of femininity.” No word on what exactly that entails, but the new Blade Runnerboasts an impressive cast of badass actresses, including Mackenzie Davis and Robin Wright, so perhaps Villeneuve and Beveridge were inspired by the heroines while devising their concoction. (The two visionaries did huddle up to explore the “characteristic building blocks of flavor behind classic Johnnie Walker blends,” per a press release.)
In our favorite touch, the Director’s Cut comes in at 49 percent ABV—on account of its added intensity, sure, but mostly as a wink to the year in which the new flick takes place. Johnnie Walker only produced 39,000 bottles, so act fast and grab yours for $89.99 while supplies last (or whenever humanity ends).
