Hybrid-cask whiskeys set sales records for Kinahan’s
Origen X-owned Kinahan’s Irish Whiskey has recorded 300% volume growth in the past year for its Kasc Project portfolio, with a 10% jump in value.
The Kasc Project is a portfolio of ‘hybrid-cask’ whiskeys that includes Kasc LL, Kasc B and Kasc M.
The hybrid casks are made from a combination of five different wood types: American, French, Portuguese, Hungarian oak and chestnut. The brand claims it is the world’s ‘first’ Irish whiskey range made using hybrid casks.
Kinahan’s history dates to 1779, but Swiss spirits company Origen X relaunched the brand in 2014.
Zak Oganian, CEO of Origen X Group, said Kinahan’s has set new brand sales records this year. “We don’t want to disclose the exact volumes as we are waiting to hit a specific milestone in 2026. However, we are talking hundreds of thousands of extra units sold in 2025 versus 2024. May and November 2025 were record-breaking months for us.”
Oganian believes two trends are shaping whiskey at the moment: affordability and exploration – both of which the hybrid-cask innovation taps into.
“Kinahan’s delivers on both,” he said. “It’s premium Irish whiskey with authentic heritage, but it’s also boldly experimental and affordable, a rare combination that sets us apart in the global market.
“Irish whiskey is one of the fastest-growing spirits categories in the world, with consumers increasingly seeking premium, innovative expressions. Hybrid-cask whiskeys put Kinahan’s in a category of one. No one else is doing this.
“It positions us as the bold alternative to mainstream Irish whiskey, appealing to curious drinkers, mixologists, and collectors who want something new. It also strengthens our credibility as the innovator within Irish whiskey – a challenger brand with a true point of difference, which is the most important identity to the Kinahan’s brand for centuries.”
Oganian noted that the response to range, which was initially polarising, has evolved: “The first time we shared hybrid-cask samples, the reaction was a perfect split into two camps: ‘traditionalists’ and ‘innovators’.
“People described it as ‘unlike anything they’d ever tasted’, ‘bold’ and ‘a riot of wood’. At the same time, we had those who were against the idea of maturing whiskey in this way, because it doesn’t deliver the strong traditional whiskey notes of strong vanilla, apple, banana, that are so common in traditional whiskey maturation.”
Over the past few years, the hybrid-cask range has become the brand’s biggest seller. “What stood out most was how quickly consumers, having tasted it once before, recognised the hybrid-cask whiskeys as Kinahan’s in blind tastings,” he said. “We have really created a new signature profile for the next generation of Kinahan’s lovers. In addition, even with all the innovation, it still carries the soul of Irish whiskey, but with a disruptive Kinahan’s edge. That balance between authenticity and creativity has been our biggest win.
“Kinahan’s hybrid-cask whiskeys aren’t just another innovation; they’re a statement – a declaration that Irish whiskey can be bold, unconventional, and endlessly creative.
“Hybrid cask is Irish whiskey reinvented, a new frontier that only Kinahan’s could pioneer.”
Broader push and headway in UAE
Last year, Origen X launched an Irish bottling business in Dublin with the capacity to produce up to five million bottles annually. The facility supports Kinahan’s, as well as Origen X’s Ukrainian vodka Mikolasch.
Kinahan’s sales were reported to be above 60,000 cases in December 2024.
The Kasc Project whiskeys are available in more than 40 markets, in “most countries” from the UK to the Baltics, “with strong presence in both premium off-trade and on-trade”, added Oganian.
He expressed excitement for the Kasc Project’s potential in the on-trade, noting that London mixologists are using hybrid-cask whiskeys as a “creative canvas” to elevate classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.
Origen X has gained a foothold in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after securing group listings at Barracuda last month – a leading independent spirits retailer – for Kinahan’s Mikolasch and Bagot’s.
The company believes the market could be one of the Middle East’s most dynamic for spirits.
“As the UAE market continues to liberalise and expand, this placement is an invaluable strategic addition to our existing 45-plus markets, giving our heritage-led brands timely access to one of the world’s most dynamic growth locations,” Oganian added.
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