Celebrity spirits aren’t automatically shit

Let’s get this out the way early: yes, some celebrity drinks are nonsense.

Half-baked concepts thrown in a bottle with a famous name and a premium price tag. 

What’s so bad about celebrity spirits?

People are cynical of celebrity-backed products for the same reason they side-eye posh lads in band tees – it feels like cosplay, not culture.

Most folk assume celebs slap their name on something for a payday, not because they’ve spent sleepless nights perfecting the formula or fermenting the agave themselves. 

Will they be around once the hype dies down? Just because they can sing or act, does that mean they’re experts in wine, wellness, or waffle irons?

If it doesn’t feel authentic, well-made, and genuinely involved, people assume it’s just brand-washing with Botox.

Fame sells – and the numbers back it up

Yet, the fame tax is alive and well. And drinkers seem happy to pay.

Celebrity involvement has always been part of the drinks world in some shape or form, but the modern gold rush properly kicked off when George Clooney sold Casamigos to Diageo in 2017 for $1 billion. Ryan Reynolds followed with Aviation Gin, offloading it for a reported $600 million in 2020. 

Teremana Tequila from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and 818 Tequila from Kendall Jenner haven’t been sold (yet), but are doing big numbers and getting billion-dollar valuations off the back of them.

It’s not hard to see the appeal. According to IWSR, celebrity-backed gins, Tequilas, and rums are growing faster than their respective categories. POS data from Union shows they command 73% more per drink on average. 

The flops

Not every celeb-backed booze brand turns into a billion-dollar bar tab, however. There have been some absolute stinkers.

David Beckham partnered with Diageo to relaunch Haig whisky as a single grain Scotch that people would order in nightclubs. The bottle looked like it held aftershave, was impossible to speedpour, and the flavour didn’t match the price. After some initial hype driven by the marketing money, ultimately it’s fallen away as whisky fans didn’t bite. At best, it was a mixed success.

Drake, too, tried to ride the whiskey wave with Virginia Black Whiskey. The flashy, high-gloss bottle sold okay at launch thanks to his name, but the juice inside was forgettable and the brand never hit mainstream traction. These days, it’s mostly MIA – less Hotline Bling, more “new number, who dis?”. 

Born and Bred Vodka from Channing Tatum similarly failed to gain serious shelf space or buzz. As did Santo Tequila from Sammy Hagar and Guy Fieri. No, really. That one happened.

Celebrity spirits aren’t automatically shit 

But writing off the entire category as soulless tat isn’t just lazy – it also ignores the brands that are doing something genuinely interesting.

We’re not just talking about slick marketing. In recent years, celebrity-backed spirits have helped push innovation, shift perceptions, and bring new drinkers into categories that badly needed fresh blood.

SirDavis: Beyonce’s foray into the whisky world

One of the latest (and loudest) arrivals comes courtesy of Beyoncé. 

SirDavis – named after her grandfather – is technically an American rye, but it’s far from standard. The mash bill is 51% rye and 49% malted barley, an unusual twist that borrows more from Scotch and Japanese whisky than traditional American styles.

It’s reportedly contract-distilled at MGP* but some also speculate that the rye comes from the reputable WhistlePig, which SirDavis backer Moët Hennessy has a minority stake in. We know for certain that Dr Bill Lumsden the man behind countless award-winning whiskies at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg selected the mash bill and finished the liquid in sherry casks. 

Real thought has gone into the production process of this SirDavis whisky. It strikes me as more than just a vanity project. Of course, there’s still cynicism – and in some quarters, a frankly embarrassing dose of misogyny. Some of the loudest backlash to SirDavis has been depressingly predictable. 

Writers like Kristiane Sherry and Gabrielle Nicole Pharms speak to that better than I ever could. They also point out the real opportunity here: Beyoncé’s presence in whisky could be significant. Whisky isn’t just consumed by one demographic, but the middle-aged white bloke echo chamber is a loud and powerful one. Bey helps move the dial and that can only be a good thing.

Other famous faces behind the bar

SirDavis might be the newest name on the shelf, but it’s in an increasingly crowded company. Some celebrity bottles that deserve a closer look:

Blackeye Gin

Launched by ex-rugby players Mike Tindall and James Haskell, Blackeye Gin punches well above the usual celeb effort. This is a properly considered London Dry, packed with crisp citrus, classic juniper bite, and a few botanicals you wouldn’t expect from a couple of lads more known for rucks than recipes. 

For every bottle sold, Blackeye also donates £1.50 to the Blackeye Rugby Fund, supporting research into player safety, risk management within the game, and recovery for injured players. Nice. 

Coachbuilt whisky

Co-founded by former F1 World Champion Jenson Button, Coachbuilt is a blended Scotch that pulls together liquid from all five whisky-producing regions of Scotland. It’s surprisingly restrained – rich in toffee, fruit, and oak, without ever shouting for attention. Elegant, smooth, and refreshingly light on hype, it’s a whisky that lets the liquid do the talking. Button might’ve hung up the racing gloves, but he clearly still knows how to steer.

The Sassenach

Outlander star Sam Heughan’s The Sassenach is a blended Scotch that had every chance of being a cringeworthy tie-in… and yet, it’s not. Far from it. This one’s picked up gold medals and won over fans with its lush, approachable style – think honeyed fruit, spice, and a silky finish that’s hard to argue with. While the price is steep, the liquid is nice. I’ve seen many a blind tasting fool people with this one who were determined to be derisory but had to concede. 

Heaven’s Door

If Bob Dylan releasing a whiskey range sounded like a classic case of “celebrity slaps name on bottle”, Heaven’s Door has proven otherwise. The Straight Rye, in particular, has real substance. It’s another that has made a few faces red at blind tastings. The bottles look cool as ice too. 

Dos Hombres Mezcal

From Breaking Bad co-stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, Dos Hombres is a mezcal that’s smoky, earthy, and far more respectable than you’d expect from a Netflix-fuelled launch. Made with 100% espadín agave, it’s got that classic campfire smoke, roasted agave sweetness, and a soft, easy finish. I’ve got no qualms with a solid bottle that’s helping more drinkers discover mezcal.

Meili Vodka

Jason Momoa’s Meili is a newer player on the scene. A few friends of mine got to try some at a launch event recently and were all impressed. The headlines are that it’s distilled using sustainable practices and local ingredients, plus the bottle looks like it belongs on the set of Aquaman, and Momoa is outrageously attractive. But we’re interested in the spirit here (promise), and having tried it ourselves we can confirm it’s clean, fresh, with subtle grain character. No, it’s not going to reinvent vodka, but it’s a strong showing from someone who clearly cared what went inside the pretty bottle.

Almave Ambar

Lewis Hamilton’s Almave Ámbar is a non-alcoholic blue agave spirit that takes the no-booze category somewhere new. Co-created with Casa Lumbre in Mexico, it benefits from the considerable expertise of the good doctor Iván Saldaña, who (and anyone who knows him can confirm) doesn’t do anything by half measures. Almave tastes like something distilled – earthy, vegetal, gently sweet, and impressively complex for something that won’t give you a hangover. If non-alc spirits are finding their footing, Almave is racing ahead of the pack. 

Bonus shout-out to Nocheluna, Saldaña’s sotol made with Lenny Kravitz. First, for being very tasty, and second for being brave enough to showcase a spirit that deserves more love. 

The Last Drop: the last word on celebrity spirits

Not every celeb spirit deserves a place in your drinks cabinet. But some do. And dismissing the whole category because of a few overpriced turkeys means missing out on bottles moving the needle. Or just taste damn nice.

At the end of the day, the liquid has to stand on its own. Some stars just happen to bring something decent to the table – and if they help make whisky, mezcal, or rum more inclusive, relevant, and exciting along the way? That’s worth raising a glass to.

 

*MGP – short for Midwest Grain Products – is the shadowy puppet master behind a lot of American whiskey labels. Based in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, it’s one of the largest contract distillers in the US. Your favourite ‘craft’ whiskey might be theirs.

The post Celebrity spirits aren’t automatically shit appeared first on Master of Malt blog.