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Johnnie Walker releases new Lunar New Year Blue Label design
The Year of the Snake inspires a new limited edition as the Scotch whisky brand continues its creative partnership with artist James Jean.
Johnnie Walker has revealed a limited edition Blue Label design for the upcoming Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Snake (2025) with a new bottle featuring artwork by visual artist James Jean. This is the second consecutive year the brand has teamed up with the Taiwanese-American artist, following his previous design for Year of the Dragon (2024).
Jean’s design for 2025 takes inspiration from the snake, a symbol of renewal and transformation in the Chinese Zodiac. The artwork features three snakes, representing wisdom, intelligence, and intuition, shedding their skins amidst blooming flowers.
This limited edition design pays homage to the traditions of Lunar New Year but adds a future-facing design twist, presenting an image that evokes themes of growth and progression. Jean explains that the three snakes in the design represent the past, present, and future, emphasising the importance of transformation.
“The snakes are constantly growing, transforming, and adapting to changing conditions,” he says.
Design inspiration
The idea of keeping in touch with traditions but looking towards the future is a notion often discussed by Jonnie Walker. In 2021, the brand released a set of advertisement campaigns called “Keep Walking,” a philosophy that encouraged people to keep on walking towards a positive future after the challenges brought to life by the pandemic.
Speaking about this ideology, Johnnie Walker’s global brand director, Jennifer English commented: “His snake design represents transformation and resilience, reflecting both the legacy of our brand and the promise of the future. We’re excited to commemorate the Year of the Snake with this remarkable, limited edition design.”
The whisky itself is known for its complex profile, made from rare whiskies sourced from Scotland’s distilleries, including some long closed “ghost” distilleries. While Jean’s artwork doesn’t literally depict these components, he explains the design figuratively draws inspiration from all angles that make up the Johnnie Walker brand.
In addition to the Blue Label design, Jean has also contributed to the packaging for the John Walker & Sons XR 21 Year Old, another limited edition release tied to the Lunar New Year. The two designs signal the brands aim to appeal to both whisky enthusiasts and collectors.
As with other Lunar New Year designs, the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of the Snake bottle will be available in select markets around the world, though the exact locations and quantities have not been disclosed.
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