In addition to being inventions of the nineteenth century, the only design elements that both sites share is the soft, pleasant music that greets visitors. (Whereas the Daniel’s music soon stops by itself, one is glad the Walker site has equipped its looped music with an off button.) And here the similarities end.

Walker adopts the slow-paced, moody theme of a brand that consider itself mature and venerated by time or reputation. On the other hand, the Daniel’s site features animated flames shooting from a barbecue grill, and one would be well advised to avoid looking at the spinning globe after consuming too much of the brand’s product.

“Keep Walking” is a Johnnie Walker promotional campaign that its web presence clearly mirrors. “Ordinary people. Simple ideas. Extraordinary lives”: the premise of the Keep Walking promotion is that “the journey is its own reward.” A collection of biographical success stories, viewable on video, are also chronicled at the keepwalking.tv site in a different layout. Apparently, Keep Walking is meant to reflect John Walker’s own personal journey of “blending the perfect whiskey.” And while the color palette seems dangerously yellow at first, the muted tones never offend.

The only complaint that can be lodged is the Confessions section, which invites visitors to ‘fess up about the worst jobs they have ever had. After viewing thousands of sites, it remains a pet peeve of this reviewer that designers still believe that a corporate site should include such hokum. With all of the available web forums out there, do they really believe that anyone will be interested in wasting his time with such a dull community?

In the end, keepwalking.com’s vibe goes over well and, while possibly serving some kind of practical function of inspiration, certainly complements the image of the Johnnie Walker drinker as a more quiet, refined and contemplative “sipper.”