So, I found myself going down a bit of a rabbit hole recently, all thanks to this idea of a NY Yankees Johnnie Walker. It all started because my brother-in-law, Dave, is impossible to buy gifts for. Loves the Yankees, loves his scotch. Seemed like a home run, right? That’s what I thought, anyway.
Dave’s one of those guys, you know? Last year, I got him what I thought was a pretty decent bottle of single malt. His comment? “Nice, but everyone has this one.” Yeah. So, the pressure was on to find something a bit more unique this time around. When I caught wind of a potential Yankees-branded Johnnie Walker, a little light bulb went off. This had to be it.
My Search for the Elusive Bottle
So, I started digging. My first move was hitting the web, obviously. You’d think something like this would be plastered everywhere if it was a big deal. It was… kinda quiet. A few mentions here and there, some old news, nothing really solid on where to just go and pick one up.
Then I decided to do it the old-fashioned way. I started calling some of the bigger liquor stores in my area. You know, the ones that usually have the fancy stuff locked up in glass cases. Here’s basically how that went:
- Store 1 (Big Chain): The guy on the phone sounded like he was 12. “Uh, Yankees Johnnie Walker? Like, with a baseball on it? Nah, man, never heard of it. We got Red and Black, though!” Real helpful.
- Store 2 (Slightly Fancier Place): The lady here at least knew what Johnnie Walker was. She said she thought she’d heard something about a limited edition a while back, maybe a New York City thing, but they definitely didn’t have it and hadn’t seen it in ages.
- Store 3 (The Local Gem): This place is run by an old fella named Sal. Sal knows his whisky. I went in person for this one. He puffed on his unlit cigar for a bit, then said, “Ah, the Yankees one. Yeah, they trot that out sometimes. More of a collector’s thing, you know? Fancy box, maybe a little etching on the bottle. Liquid inside? Probably their standard Blue, maybe Black, with a pinstripe tax.”
Sal’s comment got me thinking. Was this just a marketing gimmick? A pretty package with the same old juice inside, but with a price tag inflated for the Yankees logo? I’m a practical guy. I like nice things, but I hate getting ripped off just for a name or a logo.
I even tried checking if it was something you could only get at the stadium. I’ve been to a few games, seen those fancy suites. Figured maybe it was an exclusive for them. Couldn’t find any clear info on that either, not without schmoozing my way into a corporate box, and I wasn’t about to do that just for a bottle of scotch, not even for Dave.
So, after a few days of this, what did I really find out? Well, it seems like this NY Yankees Johnnie Walker is, or was, a real thing. But it’s not something you can just waltz in and buy off the shelf, not usually. It’s likely a very limited run, probably tied to a specific promotion or event, or aimed squarely at the high-roller collector types. The kind of thing that pops up, causes a little stir among fans and collectors, and then vanishes again.
My takeaway? If you stumble across one at a reasonable price and you’re a massive Yankees fan who also loves Johnnie Walker, then sure, maybe grab it. It’s a neat talking piece. But for me, trying to find it felt like more effort than it was worth, especially if Sal was right about it just being regular Johnnie Walker in a fancier uniform. I ended up getting Dave a gift certificate to a steakhouse. He seemed happy enough with that. Sometimes, simple is better, you know?
