Judge, 1914-10-24 · page 23 of 24
Judge — October 24, 1914 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Johnnie Walker whisky advertisement** disguised as humor, published in Judge magazine around 1920-1924. The cartoon depicts two well-dressed men discussing a paradox: "Born 1820—Still going strong." The "joke" is that Johnnie Walker whisky is over 100 years old yet remains vital. The punchline explains the paradox through the product's non-refillable bottle, which ensures quality control—you can "pour out what you can't put in," meaning no adulteration or refilling with inferior product. The advertisement emphasizes Johnnie Walker Red Label's age (over 10 years old minimum), anticipated high 1924 demand, and worldwide quality consistency. It lists New York agents Williams & Humbert and Scottish distillers John Walker & Sons. This reflects pre-Prohibition advertising (Prohibition ended in 1933), when such product placement in satirical magazines was common. The "paradox" framing attempts to make the advertisement entertaining rather than purely commercial.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Born 1820 —Still going strong. Nut: “1 say, OLD CHAP, WHAT IS A PARADOX ?” Par) Dry Joker: “ Way, ‘ Jounnie Watker. » Nut: “I cawy’r see It.” be Dry Joker: “Wet! you caN pour ovT WHAT you can’r put IN!” : The reason is because of the wonderful “ Johnnie Walker” non-refillable bottle which ensures you that you get the same superior quality of whisky that the distillers put in. Increased reserves of Red Label are now being put into bond to meet the enormous increased demand anticipated in 1924, Every drop of “ Johnnie Walker” Red Label Whisky is over 10 years old. GUARANTEED SAME QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Agents: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, 1158 Broadway, NEW YORK. JOHN WALKER & SONS, Ltp., Wuisxy Distitters, KILMARNOCK. comicbooks.com