Kinahan’s Irish whiskey to re-enter UK market

Historical Irish whiskey brand Kinahan’s, which was relaunched in 2014, is set to release its new bottlings in the UK after signing a distribution deal with Mangrove.

Irish whiskey brand Kinahan’s will relaunch in the UK through Mangrove

Originally launched in 1779, Kinahan’s featured its famous ‘L.L’ mark from 1807 after the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland instructed that a vat of the whiskey was to be set apart for him. The brand later received Royal Warrants from the British Monarchy.

Due to a major decline in the Irish whiskey sector, the Kinahan family ceased production of their namesake brand in the 1920s. Almost a century later, in 2014, Kinahan’s Irish Whiskey was revived as a limited company, entering export markets in 2015.

Now, two varieties of Kinahan’s – a premium Small Batch Blend and an ultra-premium Single Malt – will launch in the UK through distributor Mangrove.

“It is with great pleasure that we are partnering with Mangrove to bring Kinahan’s whiskey back to the UK,” said Zak Oganian, managing director of Kinahan’s.

“We are immensely proud of the provenance of our company and it is on the basis of this strong foundation that we continue to create whiskeys with the rich, smooth and full character that Kinahan’s has always been known for.”

Nick Gillett, managing director of Mangrove, added: “We believe that the Irish whiskey category is very exciting and offers great potential and Kinahan’s will fulfil a great role in expanding this category.”

Irish whiskey is one of the fastest-growing spirit categories in the world, with sales of high-end expressions jumping 589% in the spirit’s key US market since 2002.