Why Kenyans are in love with premium whisky

Businessman Chris Kirubi (left) with a friend at a whisky festival. FILE 

By JACKSON BIKO

The big question is not whether it really matters if whisky should be spelt with an “e”. The question now is if this whisky fad that is currently defining the alcohol landscape is a fleeting mirage spurred by an all-too-familiar middle-class excitement or a taste that is here to dig in its heels.

Whatever it may be, it’s an irrefutable fact that whisky – especially the single-malts - has become a statement of the achievers and the aspirations of the rest.

There’s no denying the fact that whisky has become the new statement of affluence in Nairobi. The growth of the middle-class isn’t abating; more young people have more disposable income to indulge in expensive single-malts.

According to Euromonitor International data, Kenya’s social class is projected to grow 28 per cent from 2011 to 2020, one of the highest forecasts in the world. This group will seek for luxury products.

Nairobi, itself, is experiencing a surge of whisky consumption. Hoist yourself on a bar seat at Caribana Whisky and Cocktail Bar, on Lenana Road, a hang out joint for the affluent 40-plus man and woman, and ask the head barman- Charles Njoroge, what their fastest selling products are and he will tell you it’s whisky.

Here you can get King George V, Scotch whisky, created to celebrate the Royal Warant given in 1934 to the Walker family to mark the exceptional qualities of their whiskies.

It goes for Sh7,500 a tot. It’s popular with a section of his niche clientele, who will comfortably settle a bill of Sh120,000 without bending a whisker.

“Whisky is our biggest mover,” says Charles, “we sell about 20 bottles in a night, and this is the all time highest in my 25 years in this industry.”

However, he notes, their larger clientele are the young professionals who are driven by flashiness and the need to be associated with the high-life.

Women, he says, have also jumped onto this whisky bandwagon and they are drinking it like men; on ice or with a light mixer.

Alcohol distributors are cashing in on this image-conscious market and the explosion of social media – a tool they unapologetically revel in - which allows people to talk about brands like never before.

According to a recent Mobile Life survey by TNS Global - a market research company – 40 per cent of mobile users are using social media to ask for product advice and recommendations while 25 per cent frequently post links of items they want or plan to buy.

This creates an upward pressure to use more premium brands as people see what their friends and peers are indulging in and feel the need to keep up.

Kenyans are at the forefront of this pursuit of premium brands. It is one of the fastest growing markets in the world for whisky.

Leading distilleries like Diageo are riding this tide of fortune. For the year ended 30th June 2013, for instance, the firm reported that net sales grew by 13 per cent as compared to 5 per cent in South Africa and 6 per cent in Nigeria.