Premium rum Captain Morgan Gold was launched in Kenya. The spirit will be locally produced by East African Breweries Limited.

East African Breweries Limited (EABL) have just launched premium rum Captain Morgan Gold in Kenya. EABL, a Diageo subsidiary company, has until now been importing spirits from its parent company and retailing them into Kenya. The launching of the Captain Morgan premium brand marks a change for the company and represents an investment in the Kenyan market. The rum will be locally produced in Nairobi, where brewing has already started in Ruaraka. Many of the ingredients will also be locally sourced which means that the spirit will have a slightly different taste from the rum retailing in other markets. EABL’s representatives stated that the new variant of the rum will soon be adopted in other regional markets as well as by Diageo’s subsidiaries in West Africa.

According to Kenya Breweries Limited Head of Innovation, Fred Otieno, EABL will produce 750ml of Captain Morgan Gold which will retail at Sh800 – Sh400 cheaper than the imported spirit. Mr. Otieno also said the launch of the new premium rum happens in a context where brands have seen Kenyan consumers shift towards mainstream and premium spirits. Recently, international beer produced Heineken launched its brand Amstel in Kenya in response to this same trend.

Parent company Diageo, which operates in West and Southern Africa as well, with business in countries like Cameroon, Nigeria or Namibia, has seen potential in the Kenyan market. Earlier this year, the company announced the building of a new brewery in Kisumu, in the Nyaza region. The investment, which was widely welcome by the Kenyan government, will create 100,000 new jobs and is aimed at a longer-term commitment to local sourcing and producing.