5 famous whisky lovers

While we all love our whisky here at Master of Malt, nobody knows who any of us are. So who cares? These whisky drinkers are legitimately famous. What they all have in common is that they are bonafide stars and they all came to the same realisation as many of you, dear reader, that whisky is bloody delicious.

This will be an ongoing series, so if you haven’t seen anybody famous you like who enjoyed a dram or two, then don’t fear, they’re sure to feature in the future. But all suggestions are welcome. 

Frank Sinatra

Ol’ Blue Eyes is not only one of the most iconic singers of all time but also a legendary whiskey drinker. Frank Sinatra was a lover of Champagne, wine, and gin, but it’s whiskey he was truly enthusiastic about with a long and famous association with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. He even counted Jack Daniel’s salesman Angelo Lucchesi as a personal friend, who once quipped: “I didn’t get him on it. I kept him on it.” Another story goes that the Chairman of the Board confessed to a doctor that he was drinking about a bottle of Jack a day, to which his physician replied “My God, Frank! How do you feel in the morning?” Sinatra’s response was “Hell if I know, doc. I don’t get up ‘til the afternoon.” Ever the perfectionist, Sinatra insisted his Jack was served as so: a two-finger measure with three or four ice cubes, plus water, in a traditional rock glass. Jack Daniel’s actually created a special edition whisky, Sinatra Select in his honour.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II was known to enjoy a good whisky. It’s well-documented that she favours a Dubonnet and gin cocktail, in fact in 2017 it was reported her late majesty consumed up to four cocktails a day, while Buckingham Palace also released its own gin featuring handpicked botanicals from the royal garden in Buckingham Palace. But Queen Elizabeth II was also said to enjoy a dram of Scotch whisky, a preference often linked to her Scottish heritage and frequent visits to Balmoral Castle, where whisky is a staple. In 1980, she received her very own cask of Bowmore, which was bottled until 2002 and every year she donated three to charity – out of 648 total, then in 1984, the Queen awarded a Royal Warrant to The Famous Grouse. Then there’s Royal Lochnagar, a distillery that established a connection to the Crown in 1848 when Queen Victoria purchased Balmoral Estate and it was awarded its own Royal Warrant. It’s served at the estate to this day and it’s said Lochnagar whisky was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Mark Twain

‘The Father of American Literature’ is one of history’s most notable whisky lovers. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain is quoted numerous times professing his for the spirit and often found an excuse to incorporate whisky into his writing and lectures. He also said arguably the most famous quote on whisky: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough.” Twain’s love is said to have begun in his younger days when he worked as a gold miner and then journalist, but his love affair with Scotch really kicked off on a voyage to England in 1873 when the ship’s surgeon introduced him to a new drink, a ‘cock-tail’, an early version of Old Fashioned which contained Scotch whisky and lemon juice. In later life, Twain took his whisky straight, or with as a toddy, or ‘Hot Scotch’ as it’s known in the US. 

Haruki Murakami

“I wore my suit and the polka-dot tie. As soon as I spotted Malta Kano, I tried to walk in her direction, but the crowd kept getting in my way. By the time I reached the bar, she was gone. The tropical drink stood there on the bar, in front of her now empty stool. I took the next seat at the bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks. The bartender asked me what kind of Scotch I’d like, and I answered Cutty Sark. I really didn’t care which brand of scotch he served me, but Cutty Sark was the first thing that came to mind.”

The passage is from The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, a novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Known for his best-seller Norwegian Wood (not the Beatles song), his work has sold millions of copies and has been translated into 50 languages, with whisky often featuring in his writing, reflecting his characters’ contemplative and often introspective nature. Murakami has also mentioned his appreciation for whisky in interviews and says he enjoys both Scotch and Japanese whisky. 

Lady Gaga

You taste like whiskey when you kiss me, oh

I’d give anything again to be your baby doll

Another person who has mentioned whisky in their work is none other than pop star and actress Lady Gaga. She has declared her love for whisky in various interviews, mentioning Jameson Irish Whiskey by name. Gaga even went so far as to call Jameson “My long-time boyfriend”, when dedicating a song to the brand at a concert in Dublin, saying he’s “always there for me when I need him.” The Oscar winner was also quoted as saying the following: “I like to drink whiskey and stuff while I am working. But the deal is I’ve got to work out every day.” I have a similar system. A love of Jameson is something Gaga shares with another pop sensation, Rihanna, who sings in Cheers (Drink to That): “Cheers to the freakin’ weekend/ I drink to that, yeah, yeah/ Oh, let the Jameson sink in/ I drink to that, yeah, yeah”. That’s two dead famous people for the price of one and a lovely bit of advertising for the giant Irish whiskey brand.

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