GLENMORANGIE CELEBRATES AFRICA'S LEADING STORYTELLERS
The iconic Highland single malt invites leading African cultural voices to share their experience of Scotland through creativity, craft and character.
South African author and commentator Khaya Dlanga joins Kenya’s Kate Kamau and Nigeria’s Darey Art Alade in Glenmorangie’s most ambitious Africa-focused campaign to date, celebrating the character, craft and storytelling that shape both a whisky and a life.
For more than 180 years, Glenmorangie’s whisky makers have devoted themselves to a single idea: character is not manufactured, it is built over time. Patience, craft and an unwavering point of view, the same qualities that shape a single malt in Scotland’s tallest stills, are the same qualities that shape a storyteller’s voice. It’s the philosophy that anchors Glenmorangie’s newest pan-African campaign, and the reason the brand chose to hand the story to three compelling creative voices who have spent their own careers building character on their own terms.
In South Africa, the story belongs to Khaya Dlanga. A best-selling author, columnist and one of the country's most recognisable cultural commentators, Dlanga has built a reputation over more than a decade for asking the questions others avoid and telling South African stories with unflinching honesty. That same instinct for character and curiosity is what drew him into Glenmorangie’s world, not as a brand ambassador reciting tasting notes, but as a storyteller recognising his own craft in someone else’s.
“I’ve always been curious about people and the stories they carry, so I found myself just as drawn to the conversation as the whisky,” Dlanga reflected. “Behind every tradition were people who cared deeply about preserving something meaningful. It was a reminder that real character is built over time.”
Dlanga is joined by Kenyan actress Kate Kamau and Nigerian artist and creative executive Darey Art Alade, each bringing a distinct cultural lens to the same idea, and each set to host their own market’s launch event, with Dlanga leading the Johannesburg activation.
Kate Kamau reflected: "What stayed with me most was how storytelling lives beyond words. You feel it in the people, the landscapes and the quiet pride behind every part of the distillery. It reminded me that, wherever we come from, the stories we choose to preserve become part of who we are. I loved bringing my own perspective to that experience and sharing it through an African lens."
Darey Art Alade said: “Going to Scotland felt like going to the source, meeting the people behind the craft and understanding the discipline, patience and intention that shape the finished experience. As an artist and creative executive, that philosophy felt very familiar. Whether you are making music, directing a production, building a platform or crafting whisky, character is shaped over time. The most meaningful work cannot be rushed.”
To bring that idea to life, Glenmorangie invited all three to its historic distillery in Tain and across the dramatic landscapes of the Scottish Highlands, the place where the brand’s own character has been shaped for over 180 years. Filmed through moments of genuine discovery and unscripted conversation with the distillery team, the campaign captures an authentic exchange between cultures, with each storyteller encountering Scotland through their own lens and bringing it home through their own creative voice.
Caspar MacRae, President and CEO of The Glenmorangie Company, said:
“At Glenmorangie, we’ve been perfecting the art and science of whisky making for over 180 years, creating our spirit in Scotland’s tallest stills for its signature elegant character. When we welcomed Kate, Darey and Khaya to Tain, they brought a real sense of humour and curiosity into their conversations with our distillery team, who thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share some of the stories behind our single malts and how they have been shaped by our Highland provenance. The conversations that emerged throughout the journey were genuinely inspiring. It’s a delight to now see each storyteller’s unique take on their visit to Scotland, and to celebrate their creativity and character through this campaign, which I’m sure will resonate with whisky lovers across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and beyond.”
The campaign debuts at a moment when African artists are rapidly influencing international conversations around luxury, design, fashion, film, music and literature.
Derek Ruediger, Glenmorangie International Marketing & Commercial Director, commented:
“Africa’s creatives are defining the next era of storytelling. This campaign showcases the result of combining 180 years of craft with that creative energy. By inviting African voices to take centre stage, we hope to bring greater relevance and interesting new perspectives to our brand stories for local audiences.”
Through long-form editorial features, episodic digital films and talent-led cultural dinners, the campaign will roll out across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa from July to December 2026. It is being launched through a series of intimate events in Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg, hosted by Kate Kamau, Darey Art Alade and Khaya Dlanga respectively.
Through their experiences in Scotland, these storytellers share their own perspectives on the craft, patience and character that define Glenmorangie.
