Jameson targets Nairobi’s middle class with new premium whiskies

French-based Pernod Ricard, the local distributors of Jameson, is this weekend set to launch a set of three premium brands of the drink targeting Nairobi’s middle class liquor consumers.

The Jameson brands will retail for at least Sh5,500 per bottle.

The Distiller’s Safe, The Cooper’s Croze and The Blender’s Dog, are part of the liquor group’s push to grow sales among the expanding, well-travelled Kenyan middle class with high disposable income.

The three brands, dubbed The Whiskey Makers Series, were first announced globally in June and were developed by three Jameson craftsmen named after their favourite piece of equipment in the distillation process.

Rob Scannell, the new portfolio’s brand ambassador, says Kenya has evolved into a critical market for Pernod Ricard and that the new spirits are the first of at least six drinks to be launched locally by mid 2017.

“Jameson and Pernod Ricard have taken the step to expand and diversify the premium brand portfolio to serve our evolving clientele,” Mr Scannell said in a telephone interview. “Between now and mid next year, we plan to introduce brands that fit in the space between the Jameson Original and the new Whiskey Makers Series. This will give our loyal Kenyan customers even more variety.”

Jameson, which also sells the Select Reserve brand locally, has been working to position itself in the Kenyan market since it opened a local office four years ago through which it has heavily marketed its products.

Its main rival, East African Breweries Limited (EABL) has also been innovating in the high-end spirits space with the launch of products such as the Talisker Storm and the Bulleit Bourbon in recent years.

This has helped the company’s spirits business maintain a double digit growth trajectory.

EABL’s premium spirits include the Johnnie Walker Red Label, Smirnoff Vodka, and Baileys while its reserve products include Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Don Julio tequila among others.

Jameson’s brand diversification comes at a time when Kenyans are estimated to have guzzled Sh568 million worth of Scotch whisky last year -- up from Sh534 million in 2015 -- according to a Scotland based industry association.

READ: Kenya’s middle class drowns Sh568m worth of Scotch whisky

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) attributed this growing consumption to “Kenya’s increasingly sophisticated middle class as well as the country’s growing economy.”

SWA’s data only looks at Scotch whisky, implying that Kenyans drunk more than the reported amount if whiskeys imported from American and Irish distilleries are included.
“Kenya was not affected by global economic crisis whose negative effects are still being felt by multinational members. This opportunity in East Africa has seen them produce more product for this promising market,” the association noted.