The whisky is set to lose its 189-year association with the Ayrshire town as Diageo closes its 700-worker packaging plant. Johnnie Walker was established in Kilmarnock in 1820 by founder John Walker and has maintained links with the town ever since, a fact stated on labelling. Johnnie Walker is one of Diageo's oldest whisky brands and claims to be the world's top-selling Scotch whisky, with 16.3m cases sold each year. The reason for the closure, apparently Diageo aren't willing to get the site up to scratch. We must make a point that we will not let an historical local company to be lost.