Thika Company unveils a home-grown Whisky targeting the middle-class.

Kenya’s leading indigenously owned alcoholic spirits manufacturer, Africa Spirits Limited (ASL), has launched a new blended product as the company targets the country’s growing whisky market.

ASL, a Thika-based alcohol manufacturing plant, has unveiled ‘Glen Rock’, a blended whisky brand targeting the growing mid-level market consumers.

The whisky has been formulated under a joint venture with European-based Master Blender following a two-year product development plan.

Glen Rock whisky forms part of ASL’s market penetration strategy, targeting to meet the growing whisky market demand. ASL, which was established in 2004, is the producer of other alcoholic beverages including Brandy, Gin and Vodka.

Products in these beverage segments include Legend Gold Brandy, Blue Moon Vodka flavours (Apple, Mango and Ginger), Gypsy King Gin and the Furaha Range.

The company is part of the investment portfolio of businessman Humphrey Kariuki. His other interests include WOW Beverages, Dalbit Petroleum, The Hub Karen, Mount Kenya Safari Club, Great Lakes Africa Energy among others.

In July, the Kenya Wine Agencies launched the Viceroy 10, a limited edition vintage brandy that is double distilled and matured in French oak barrels for 10 years.

Last year, KWAL released a limited edition of Booker’s Rye whiskey that had been aged for 13 years, unlike other whiskeys that are aged for six to eight years.

ASL uses non-refillable caps, a safety measure that ensures the integrity of its products that has now become an industry standard. The company introduced the non-refillable caps on its products in 2014.