Whiskey Johnny

Whiskey Johnny is one of the traditional sea shanties featured on the official Windrose Original Soundtrack, and one of the songs your crew can sing at the helm. It is a halyard shanty about a sailor's love of whiskey, and the game uses a fresh arrangement of the public domain song.

Track Facts

On the Soundtrack

The track appears on the Windrose: Original Soundtrack (Steam App 4564200), a collection that pairs the game's ambient score with its shanty rotation. The soundtrack released alongside the April 14, 2026 Early Access launch, sold as a standalone add on and bundled into the Supporter Bundle. Vocals across the shanty tracks are credited to Sean Dagher, with the instrumental arrangements composed and produced in house by the Kraken Express audio team. Whiskey Johnny is one of the shorter tracks in the listing.

Origin

"Whiskey Johnny" (also spelled "Whisky Johnny" or sung as "Whiskey for my Johnny") is a traditional halyard shanty, typically used at the topsail or topgallant halyards and sometimes pressed into service as a capstan song. It is one of the older halyard shanties, with a two pull chorus matching the rhythm of heavy sail work. As a public domain folk song it has many regional verses, and the version heard in game is the team's own recording of that material.

In Game

Like every track in the rotation, this shanty is tied to the helm rather than to a menu. Take the wheel of a ship and press B while under sail to start it. The NPC crew on deck join in on the chorus while you steer between islands. Playback is diegetic: the song comes from the crew on your own deck, so it rises and fades with the action and stops if you leave the helm.

Shanties yield priority to combat. The instant a fight begins the crew breaks off so the naval cannons and boarding actions read clearly, and the singing resumes once the engagement ends. Outside of combat the track can be re triggered freely on any voyage, which makes it a low cost way to set the mood on a long crossing.

Notes

• One of the more recognisable songs in the rotation, sitting alongside tracks such as Drunken Sailor and Leave Her Johnny.

• The arrangement fits within the soundtrack's overall acoustic and vocal style, led by Sean Dagher.

• Thematically it ties into the drinking and tavern culture at Tortuga, and to drink recipes such as Dead Eye Grog with their rum and Madeira inputs.

See Also

• Sea Shanties: the full shanty rotation and how the helm music system works

• Sean Dagher: the vocalist who performs the shanties

• Naval Combat: why the singing pauses mid fight

• NPC Crew: the deckhands who sing along at the helm

• Wind and Sailing: steering between islands while a shanty plays