MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A message in a bottle. Johnnie Walker — the Diageo-owned Scotch whisky brand — recently released its John Walker & Sons XR21 Philippine Series, which is a limited-edition bottle that is unique only to the Philippines. The design features endemic Philippine animals as the brand aims to drive awareness in wildlife preservation in the country as part of its Next Steps Initiative.
Johnnie Walker teamed up with Philippine Parks and Biodiversity for this limited-edition release to support the efforts of these organizations in educating and empowering communities across the country about the plight of the endangered species and the restoration of their habitats featured in its John Walker & Sons XR21 Philippine Series bottle. These include the Philippine tarsier, Philippine eagle, and Philippine Crocodile.
“This landmark partnership targets at taking action to help ensure that we play our part in creating a balanced ecosystem for people and nature alike,” said Kavita Hans, General Manager of Diageo Philippines.
The New England Primate Conservancy website described the Philippine tarsier as one of the world’s smallest primates. Populations of these small primates can be found primarily in the southeast portion of the archipelago—notably the islands of Bohol, Dinagat, Siargao, Maripipi, Samar, Leyte, Basilan, and Mindanao. These species are listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2015. The threat of habitat loss is one of the main reasons their population is currently decreasing.
For its part, the Philippine eagle, which is named the National Bird of the Philippines in 1995, is one of the rarest birds in the world. IUCN listed it as “Critically Endangered,” with an estimated population of 400 pairs in the wild. Per the data collected by the Philippine Eagle Foundation, the Monkey-eating eagle is the largest forest raptor in the Philippines and can only be found on the Islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao.
The Philippine crocodile, in turn, is one of the 23 species of crocodilians (Crocodiles, Alligators, and Gharials) in the world. According to the Mabuwaya Foundation, these species are now very rare and their wild population is extremely limited both in distribution and population size. The only localities with viable subpopulations are found in Ligawasan Marsh in Southwestern Mindanao, the foothills of the Northern Sierra Madre in northern Luzon, and possibly in Abra Province in the Cordillera Mountains of Luzon.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the John Walker & Sons XR21 Philippine Series bottles will be committed to helping ensure the survival of these native species as well as the habitats of these species as proceeds will also support the reforestation projects of Philippine Parks and Biodiversity in growing forests where wildlife thrive. Through this partnership, Philippine Parks and Biodiversity will also be able to support the biodiversity conservation programs of other wildlife protection organizations focused on directly protecting and conserving wildlife featured in the bottles including the Philippine Eagle Foundation and Mabuwaya Foundation.
Next steps
The partnership with Philippine Parks and Biodiversity forms part of the brand’s biggest sustainability push yet, called Johnnie Walker Next Steps Initiative.
“This project encompasses Johnnie Walker’s ambitious plans to reinvent how we do things and to help restore and protect natural landscapes in the Philippines and in markets where we operate,” explained Kavita.
As part of the initiative, Johnnie Walker is planning to become fully net zero in whisky production, fully use recycled contents for plastic packaging, and fully use renewable energy in its distilleries by 2030.
“To achieve these, we will have to reduce our carbon footprint, restore natural landscapes, and reinvent our company practices and processes with a focus on sustainability,” Kavita added.
John Walker & Sons The XR21 Philippines Series is a well-awarded, luxurious liquid that represents discernment, status, and refinement of taste. This product is perfect for gifting, collection, or personal consumption. With a suggested retail price of Php 4,400, the limited-edition bottles are now available in LIQUOR.PH (https://liquor.ph/collections/xr21ph) and major wine shops in Metro Manila.
