Creativity A Stroll Through History With Johnnie Walker By Tim Nudd|August 7, 2009 Share By Tim Nudd|August 7, 2009 Share Best ad of the year so far? It just might be this brilliant five-minute-plus spot by BBH London, in which Robert Carlyle, in a single continuous take, narrates the progression of Johnnie Walker whiskey from the backroom experimentation of a humble shopkeeper to the multinational powerhouse it is today. The combination of bagpiper abuse, well-timed visual cues, pitch-perfect writing and music, and Carlyle's charisma keeps the mini-movie chugging right along. (When was the last time you sat through an ad this long, and one that really just puts in motion the boring brand-history page from the Web site?) It's also nice to see the renowned gloomy Scottish countryside put to good use. UPDATE: Shots has an interview with the director, Jamie Rafn of HLA in London. See also: Hitching a ride is always weirder with booze Johnnie Walker gets into art history Adweek Adweek