Diageo Global Travel has released Johnnie Walker Blue Label Cities of the Future Hainan limited edition, a travel retail-exclusive blended Scotch that imagines what the province will look like in the year 2220.

Designed by artist Luke Halls, who has previously worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna, the release explores themes of geo-engineering, AI empowerment, and physics-defying technologies. 

Hall’s Hainan is a tourist paradise for citizens of both Earth and Martian colonies, imagined in intricate cityscape illustrations.

Floating islands transport visitors through the history of the province, from the Ming Dynasty through to the 21st century, with cable cars providing views of the Bougainvillea clusters and the Guanyin of Nanshan statue. Jewel-like solar panels float in the sea surrounding the island.

The bottle features a near-field communication (NFC) chip which, when scanned, transports customers into the Hainan of the future. 

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Cities of the Future Hainan limited edition is available now at the Johnnie Walker Whisky Boutique Store located in Haitang Bay in Sanya, Hainan. 

To support the launch, the store has been transformed with the Cities of the Future design to heighten the customer experience. 

The release is also available in Haikou, Sanya cities and other selected travel retail locations.

An omni-channel campaign is also live, featuring digital media content and influencer amplification across multiple digital channels.

Johnnie Walker is the best-selling whisky in global travel retail, according to 2019 IWSR figures.

“China is such an important market for us, and Hainan, its newest retail hub, is a hugely exciting place to showcase our incredible portfolio of rare Scotches,” said Andrew Cowan, Diageo Global Travel Managing Director.

“We’ve found a new home in Hainan with our new whisky boutique there and it’s brilliant to follow this opening with our Cities of the Future Hainan limited edition. 

“We’re delighted to see Johnnie Walker Blue Label launching in Haikou, Sanya cities and other locations within Travel Retail with this beautiful and exclusive bottle design, giving travellers and shoppers an exciting glimpse of a future Hainan.”

Sandra Tassilly, Diageo Global Travel Commercial Director for APAC, MENA, and India, added: “This incredible limited-edition design for Johnnie Walker Blue Label Cities of the Future is a treat for travellers and shoppers to Hainan. 

“An exciting and fun glimpse of what a future Hainan might look like, Luke Halls’ beautiful illustrations are the very embodiment of the Johnnie Walker philosophy of progress, looking to the future with the rally cry of Keep Walking. 

“The rare whiskies in the liquid, the intricate craft and innovative collaboration of Johnnie Walker and Luke Halls, make this limited edition design the perfect gift to give to those who walk with you.”

Diageo Global Travel opened its Hainan boutique earlier this year, featuring digital and physical displays to bring to life the business’s luxury whisky portfolio.