THEDAILYWHISKY

Eighty-one floors above Seoul, a highball is about to become the most photographed drink in Asia.

Johnnie Walker announced today that ROSÉ is its new collaborator, and the first thing she will do in the role is pour. At BAR 81, on the 81st floor of SIGNIEL SEOUL in the Lotte World Tower, she will introduce the Twist of Something Highball: a tall, sparkling Black Label serve, finished in the campaign images with a ribbon of cucumber on a cocktail pick.

Seoul was not picked by accident. It is the city where ROSÉ’s career took shape, and it is one of the places where the whisky highball has quietly become a generational drink.

What is the Twist of Something Highball?

The Twist of Something Highball is ROSÉ’s signature Johnnie Walker serve, made with Johnnie Walker Black Label. From the campaign photography, it is served long over ice in a tall highball glass, with a fine, lively carbonation and a curled cucumber ribbon as the garnish.

That cucumber is a nice choice for Black Label. A cool, green garnish sits well against a blend whose character leans on dried fruit, vanilla and a soft thread of smoke, and it keeps a long drink feeling fresh rather than sweet. When the recipe is published, we will update this article.

Key facts at a glance:

• Collaborator: ROSÉ (Roseanne Park), singer-songwriter and member of BLACKPINK
• Whisky: Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old, blended Scotch whisky, 40% ABV
• Signature serve: Twist of Something Highball
• Launch venue: BAR 81 at SIGNIEL SEOUL, South Korea
• Rollout: Asia first, then global
• Announced: 26 October 2026

Who is ROSÉ, and why Johnnie Walker chose her

ROSÉ is a South Korean-New Zealand singer-songwriter, best known as a member of BLACKPINK and for a solo career that has grown into something much bigger. Her debut solo album, rosie, included the global hit “APT.”, and she has been grammy nominated in her own right.

In the announcement, ROSÉ said: “I’m very excited to expand my creative journey with Johnnie Walker and explore new ways to bring different worlds together. As a brand that has remained iconic across generations, I’m honoured to bring something of my own to its evolving story.”

Neil Shah, Johnnie Walker Global Brand Director, framed the partnership around a “delicious range of Johnnie Walker cocktails and experiences” carrying ROSÉ’s perspective to people around the world. In other words, the Twist of Something Highball is the first drink, not the only one.

Black Label in a highball: why it works

We drink a lot of whisky neat, and we will keep doing that. But Black Label is one of the whiskies we genuinely like to stretch out with soda and ice, and there is a good reason it keeps turning up in highball glasses around the world.

A highball is honest. Soda opens a whisky up and spreads it out, so anything thin or harsh gets exposed fast. Black Label, aged for a minimum of 12 years and blended from malt and grain whiskies across Scotland, has enough weight to survive the dilution. The sweet, fruity Speyside and Highland side carries the drink, while a wisp of smoke from the west coast stays present right to the bottom of the glass.

That balance is the whole point. The highball is not a way to hide a whisky. It is a way to show its outline more clearly, and Black Label has a clear outline.

Why the Johnnie Walker Rosé launch starts in Asia

It makes complete sense that this campaign begins in Seoul and travels across Asia before going global, because Asia is where the modern whisky highball found its home.

In Japan, the highball has been a bar staple for generations and went through a major revival from the late 2000s, turning whisky and soda into the everyday drink of izakayas and office workers. It is served fast, cold and in volume, and it brought a whole new audience to whisky.

South Korea followed with its own boom. Whisky imports into Korea reached their highest level since 2008 in 2022, according to the Korea Customs Service, driven by younger drinkers who embraced the highball as a lighter, more social way to enjoy whisky. Convenience store chains and supermarkets responded by stocking far more whisky, and in-store whisky releases began selling out in minutes.

ROSÉ sits right at the centre of that audience. Launching her highball at BAR 81, rather than in a London or New York bar, is a statement about where the energy in whisky drinking is right now.

How this builds on the Sabrina Carpenter partnership

ROSÉ is not Johnnie Walker’s first music collaborator built around a highball. The brand’s multi-year partnership with GRAMMY Award-winning artist Sabrina Carpenter introduced the Go Go Highball, and in September 2026 it was followed by a limited edition Black Label bottle in a bespoke Sabrina blue with dog paw motifs inspired by her album Man’s Best Friend.

That gives a clear template: a signature serve first, then a wider series of collaborations, and potentially a bottle. Johnnie Walker says ROSÉ’s partnership will explore “new expressions of the brand through design, creativity and culture”, so a ROSÉ-designed Black Label would not be a surprise. Nothing has been confirmed yet.

About Johnnie Walker Black Label

Johnnie Walker traces its story back to John Walker’s grocery shop in Kilmarnock in 1820, and the Black Label blend has been the backbone of the range for well over a century. It sits between Red Label and Gold Label Reserve in the core line-up, with Blue Label at the top.

Black Label is a blended Scotch whisky, which means it brings together single malt whiskies and grain whiskies from multiple distilleries. Every component has spent at least 12 years in cask. Cardhu in Speyside is often named as the heart of the Johnnie Walker house style, and Islay malt adds the smoke.

If you want to see how that blending works in person, our coverage of the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street in Edinburgh walks through the flavour-led tours and tastings at the brand’s home.

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old, distillery tasting notes

Nose: dark fruits, sweet vanilla, toffee, a light curl of smoke

Palate: rich and rounded, raisin, orange zest, creamy toffee, spice

Finish: medium-long, warm, gently smoky

Type: Blended Scotch whisky | Age: 12 years | ABV: 40% | Price: standard Black Label RRP, around £30 to £35 for 70cl in the UK

Tasting notes attributed to Johnnie Walker. The Twist of Something Highball has not yet been tasted by The Daily Whisky.

Where can you try the Twist of Something Highball?

The first chance is at BAR 81, SIGNIEL SEOUL, where ROSÉ will launch the serve at a Black Label celebration. From there, the campaign will travel across Asia’s most vibrant cities before rolling out globally. Specific cities, dates and international bar partners have not yet been announced.

Johnnie Walker Black Label itself is available in more than 160 countries, so once the recipe is published, the Twist of Something Highball will be easy to make at home almost anywhere in the world.

Thedailywhisky’s take

This is a big, joyful moment for Scotch whisky. A blended Scotch with more than two centuries of history behind it is opening its doors to one of the most widely followed artists of her generation, and it is doing it with the one serve that has done more than any other to bring new people to whisky: the highball.

For long-time whisky drinkers, the interesting part is what comes next. If the ROSÉ partnership follows the Sabrina Carpenter template, expect more cocktails, a series of events across Asia and quite possibly a collectable bottle. For anyone who has never ordered a whisky before, a tall, cold Black Label highball in Seoul might be the most natural first step there is.

We will update this article when Johnnie Walker publishes the recipe and confirms the next cities on the tour.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Johnnie Walker Rosé partnership? The Johnnie Walker Rosé partnership is a creative collaboration between Johnnie Walker and ROSÉ, the GRAMMY-nominated BLACKPINK member and solo artist. Announced on 26 October 2026, it launches in Seoul with her signature Black Label serve, the Twist of Something Highball, and will expand into cocktails, design and cultural experiences across Asia and then worldwide.

What is the Twist of Something Highball? The Twist of Something Highball is ROSÉ’s signature Johnnie Walker cocktail, made with Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old. It is a long, sparkling highball served over ice and garnished with a curled cucumber ribbon. Johnnie Walker has not yet published the full recipe, and The Daily Whisky will update its coverage once it does.

Where can I try ROSÉ’s Twist of Something Highball? The serve launches at BAR 81 at SIGNIEL SEOUL, on the 81st floor of the Lotte World Tower in South Korea. Johnnie Walker says the campaign will then travel to major cities across Asia before going global. Specific cities and dates have not been announced yet, so check Johnnie Walker’s official channels for updates.

Is there a limited edition ROSÉ Johnnie Walker bottle? No limited edition bottle was announced at launch. However, Johnnie Walker says the partnership will explore new expressions of the brand through design and creativity. Its earlier partnership with Sabrina Carpenter led to a limited edition Black Label bottle about a year after it began, so a ROSÉ design is possible but unconfirmed.

What whisky is used in the Twist of Something Highball? The Twist of Something Highball uses Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old, a blended Scotch whisky bottled at 40% ABV. Black Label combines single malt and grain whiskies from across Scotland, each aged at least 12 years. Its balance of dried fruit, vanilla and gentle smoke makes it well suited to a long drink with soda.

How much does Johnnie Walker Black Label cost? Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old typically sells for around £30 to £35 for a 70cl bottle in the UK, with similar pricing in euros across much of Europe. Prices vary by market and retailer. It is sold in more than 160 countries, so it is one of the easiest Scotch whiskies to find for a highball at home.