Appreciating Glenfiddich

The ocean has turned moody as wind blows through the heat of Lamu. Meanwhile in a House on the Hill in Shela village, the new national brand ambassador of Glenfiddich, Mulunda Kombo holds court, whisky in hand. He’s hosting a Glenfiddich party. Music booms from a Bluetooth speaker. The blue of the pool dances in his eyes. He’s the first local brand ambassador.

But this is not the pool he plays in usually; he’s a self-taught chef (a bit of this later) but also he studied something called Psychology Ergonomics and Human Biology.

“I always wanted to do psychology,” he says staring into his drink.

“I used to play rugby for the South African Sharks. I thought rugby was going to be my career. Then I got injured badly. Then came multiple surgeries for two years. I ended up losing sensation in the right side of my body for a very long time. That ended my rugby career in South Africa.”

Someone in a red bikini splashes into a pool. Mulunda barely looks up. He has transported into the past; a thick curtain hangs before his eyes. Once off the ball, he strove to understand his trauma.

“I studied psychology as a result,” he says over Drake’s moans. “Ergonomics is designing for the human body. So, it was about designing prosthetics, designing anything that makes the recuperation process easier. Human biology is just to understand the body a little bit better.”

He studied it in the UK. When he came back, joined his father’s business in property development who was politicking to be a senator of Bungoma county. He did that for seven years then discovered the world of food.

“I started a consulting firm which deals with bars, hotels and restaurants. We develop standard operating procedures for them,” he says. I have never qualified myself as a chef because I think there are a lot of people that actually go to culinary schools for very many years, who deserve that respect. I am passionate about food, I’m passionate about the industry. I’m trying to develop the voice of our Kenyan culinary scene,” he says.

Obsession of drinkers

The big whisky wave that has been going on for years now caught up with him. “I once did a pop-up with Hendrick’s Gin, that’s where the relationship started with William Grants & Sons that have Glenfiddich as one of their brands,” he says.

“That was probably two and half years ago. Being a Glenfiddich ambassador was a natural fit in the sense of how easy it is to marry whisky into a menu. It has a richness about it that makes it easy to use.”

Glenfiddich is trying to change the status quo which is, whisky is only drank by a certain type of person, with a certain income.

“For me, it’s about blending in. I’m most comfortable in the bush with my boots, my knife and a fire, a bottle of whisky an arms-length away,” Mulunda said, bringing his glass to his lips for a deserved sip.

The brand is trying out exciting things with its brand ambassadors, a testimony of its inclusiveness but also an adventure.

“The brand ambassador in New York is a lady, a thespian in Broadway. There’s the DJ in South Africa, a playwright in Sweden. There are so many different types of people, I’m now one of them. So, we are calling ourselves, the Mavericks. Being completely working against the grain of what the perception of whisky drinking is. I don’t need to be highbrow, I don’t need to be stuck up, I don’t need to have an exceeding amount of money to appreciate something that is genuinely an expression of a family,” he says.

In the Glenfiddich family, he is drawn towards the 15-year-old because he sees himself as a nerd who sometimes watches a bit of science fiction.

“I love science. I have a curiosity. I love the science of cooking and that translates very easily to the science that goes behind the preparation and the manufacturing and production of whisky. The 15-year-old for me is the best expression because it’s a marriage of innovation,” he says.

He gets up, walks to a table creaking with an array of whiskies and comes back with a bottle. “Refill?” He offers, offering me a finger of the 15-year-old.

I bring up the obsession of drinkers who imagine that the older whisky is the better it is.

“I think it’s language,” he says reflectively. “What are we saying about whisky? And are we saying it the right way? This is why we don’t have whisky tastings. We have whisky appreciation. I think that a 12-year-old is just good as a 21, or as a 30. It’s just about what has been done to it. Who am I to dictate what your parity is? My job is to help drinkers appreciate the whisky and put them in a scenario where they can appreciate it regardless of its age,” he says.

He is not averse to drinking other whiskies now that he is the brand ambassador of Glenfiddich.

“I now spend my weekends with small groups of people drinking whisky. Every month, we bring two bottles of whisky to the table that we’ve never drank before. We do the whole BYOW (Bring Your Own Whisky) at the Capital Club, Nairobi, which is also an opportunity to sample other forms of whisky like the Japanese whisky, Irish whisky, Scottish,” he says.

“I think the typical understanding of a brand ambassador is that you are tied down to one brand and it’s a travesty if you’re seen drinking another whisky. No. That’s not the case with this because we are firm believers in the appreciation of whisky.”

The music is louder. The whisky melts under our tongues. Mulunda gets up. He looks at the blue swimming pool, seemingly trying to make his mind whether to swim or not. Eventually he comes back and sits and raises his glass.

“We are here and it’s a lovely night. Let’s appreciate this moment.”

You have your number one whisky in the world and you have your number two, and number three you’ll have your number four. Understanding what number four is doing, puts you in a better position to be number two, number three, number one,” he says.