Kenya Breweries Limited’s Johnnie Walker is 200 years old today, the first having been sold at small groceries in Kilmarnock, Scotland.
KBL’s Graham Villier-Tuthill described it as “an iconic brand with a truly special story.”
There will be month-long celebrations in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu to mark the drink’s journey.
It has been sold in Kenya since the 50s and is now in over 180 countries where it is traded as the best-selling scotch whisky.
In Kenya, the brand has contributed to the overall sales growth for EABL, said the head of spirit Flavia Othim.
Kenya’s scotch category has fared better in recent years than its EAC neighbours, according to the alcohol industry consultancy IWSR.
Next month, the Discovery Channel will air a feature documentary directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Anthony Wonke exploring what has led Johnnie Walker to become an icon in popular culture.
And Canongate Books have recently announced the publication of A Long Stride by Nicholas Morgan, a book charting the remarkable story of how Johnnie Walker became the world’s number one Scotch.
