More than 1,700 people attended Johnnie Walker’s “House of Walker” events October 28 to November 1 at Fair Market in Austin, Texas. The invitation-only tasting events provided an interactive, educational experience for local influencers, chefs, musicians, media, and bartenders to learn about the whiskey brand’s labels.
Upon arrival, guests received a card embedded with a radio frequency identification, or R.F.I.D., tag. The cards took the place of drink tickets as guests visited six Johnnie Walker tasting stations. Organizers invited guests to link their cards to their Twitter and Facebook accounts to enable easy social sharing at the event. Throughout the night, groups of 48 guests sat at two long tables for a 15-minute tasting experience led by a brand expert known as the “Master of Whisky.” As guests placed their R.F.I.D. cards in a designated slot on their tasting mats, the table illuminated with animations and information that corresponded to each liquor they sampled. Buttons on the tasting mats allowed guests to instantly share the experience on their social media channels. In an email, the company said the interactive tables provided a quick and easy way for guests to capture and share content without having to take out their phones, which would have disrupted the tasting experience.
In addition to the tasting, guests sampled whiskey cocktails prepared by selected Austin bartenders. Organizers also invited them to “Join the Pact”—Johnnie Walker's responsible drinking campaign asking consumers to always designate a driver—by signing a branded Mercedes-Benz.