Hollywood heavyweights are shaking up the spirits industry! Dive into our guide to celebrity-owned brands, where stars like Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are crafting award-winning spirits.
The surge in celebrity-owned spirits continues unabated, with the market expanding from fewer than 40 brands in 2018 to over 350 today.1 Initially, the allure of a celebrity's endorsement might raise questions about the quality of the spirit, but many of these high-profile personalities play an integral a role in the crafting of these spirits. The resulting spirit is one you will find each of them sipping themselves. Keep reading for our selection of celebrity-backed spirits, where the focus is truly on the quality of the liquid itself.
You can’t deny Jason Momoa’s magnetism, so we expect this new vodka, co-created with his good friend and founder of MadeWorn clothing company, Blaine Halvorson, will attract a lot of interest. Meili Vodka is made in Halvorson’s hometown in Montana using locally sourced grains and local artesian water for the purest taste. The brand means business when it comes to sustainability, too; all bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled glass. If you’re looking for a delicious, crisp, eco-friendly bottle of vodka and you have no idea what Dune was all about, you just watched it for Momoa, Meili checks all the boxes.
Sink your teeth into a bottle of our favorite undead brothers’ bourbon. Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, stars of The Vampire Diaries, launched an American spirit brand inspired by their characters’ love for bourbon and the connection they created as on-screen brothers. Their bond for creating great bourbon is also met with one cause: to protect the environment. A portion of their proceeds will be given back to support regenerative farming practices, which rebuild healthy soil to allow plants to prosper and ultimately protect our food and water supply. Enjoy a complex palate that is balanced with a touch of sweetness and spice as you sip this elegant and smooth bourbon. Brother’s Bond also recently added a cask strength variety to the lineup; aromas of banana, walnut and honey move into a warm, rich palate of dried fruits, caramel, vanilla and spice.
Drinking actor Sam Heughan's Sassenach Spirits is an experience that comes close to the magic of Scotland itself. The lineup includes Scotch, of course, but also gin. The Scotch is a consistent gold medal winner with notes of butterscotch, fresh citrus and spice. Heughan distilled the same spirit of Scotland in his gin, which captures the richness and vibrance of the Scottish landscape with bright, refreshing notes of apples, berries and juniper.
Whatever your flavor is, Sam Heughan’s got a bottle for ye, ya ken?
Not only has actor Ryan Reynolds been making a name for himself as an impressive marketer, but in 2018 he became a self-declared gin expert, stating, "I've tried every gin on the planet and Aviation is, hands down, the best. Also, I don't recommend trying every gin on the planet. Stick with this one." This gin features a recipe as attractive as the co-owner himself, with a blend of botanicals including cardamom, coriander, French lavender, anise seed, sarsaparilla, juniper and two kinds of orange peels. Reynolds sold the company to Diageo in 2020 to pursue other endeavors but has kept interest in the brand. Fly above the clouds on a non-stop smooth journey with Aviation Gin.
Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits collaborates with a star-studded cast of characters to bottle the perfect ready-to-drink classic cocktails. The Perfect Cosmo by Sarah Jessica Parker captures that perfect mix of flirtation and sophistication that her Sex and the City character, Carrie Bradshaw, always delivered on the streets of Manhattan. If a marg is more your style, actresses Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and Rosario Dawson teamed up to create The Margalicious Margarita with freshly squeezed lime juice, pure sea salt, a hint of orange zest and premium tequila. Finally, if you’re looking for something less fruity and more rich, grab a bottle of Neil Patrick Harris’ The After Hours Espresso Martini. Velvety bold Arabica coffee blended with premium Thomas Ashbourne vodka brings out mouthwatering notes of luscious dark chocolate and hints of vanilla.
Co-owned by the Emmy-winning dynamic duo Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, Dos Hombres Mezcal is an exquisite example of celebrities looking to create something different. With a desire to work together again after the end of their critically acclaimed show, Breaking Bad, these two stars traveled to a remote section of Oaxaca, Mexico in the hopes to curate a spirit like no other. Mezcal is an agave-based spirit with a carefully crafted smoky taste derived from its cooking process. Experience a fruity, fresh and sweet palate with hints of mango and sapote, followed by a soft hint of wood produced by the smoking pits. Enjoy it on the rocks or mix it in this smoky negroni.
Celebrities are on an agave spirits kick following George Clooney’s success with Casamigos, but that’s not what drew Mark Wahlberg to invest in Flecha Azul Tequila. Wahlberg used to be a wine drinker, but he switched to tequila to consume less calories. His newfound love of the spirit led him to partner with Flecha Azul founders Aron Marquez and PGA golfer Abraham Ancer. The Flecha Azul lineup includes blanco, añejo, reposado, cristalino and extra añejo varieties, meaning there’s a bottle for the neat sippers, the margarita mixers and everyone in between.
Pro martial artist and boxer Conor McGregor packs a big punch...and so does his whiskey, Proper No. Twelve. McGregor was born and raised in Dublin’s District 12, hence the name. The spirit is a triple-distilled blend of fine grain and single malt that is bourbon barrel-aged. Expect hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood on the palate. The brand also carries an apple flavor with a sweet, tart Irish apple punch and a smooth finish. Plus, a donation is made to local first responders worldwide for every bottle sold; McGregor may be a fighter, but this Irish whiskey is a lover for sure.
Comedian Kevin Hart may be in the business of funny, but there’s funny business about his luxury tequila brand, Gran Coramino Tequila. Hart collaborated with Juan Domingo Beckmann on the label, an 11th generation tequila maker and creator of the very first cristalino tequila. Gran Coramino Reposado Cristalino is rested in Eastern European oak barrels and finished in California cabernet wine casks, then meticulously filtered for clarity and unparalleled smoothness. Where the cristalino is bright and clean, the añejo is full of rich, bold flavor, like butterscotch, cinnamon, toasted cacao and coffee bean. Whether you seek purity or complex flavors from your tequila, Gran Coramino delivers.
Who knew that some of the best ready-to-drink cocktails on the market are the work of Jenny from the Block? Jennifer Lopez’s Delola sparkling cocktails are delicious and refreshing, available in flavors Paloma Rosa Spritz, Bella Berry Spritz and L’Orange Spritz. They’re made with natural botanicals and colors and are gluten free. These chic spritzes pair well with just about anything, but they get along famously with food from Mexico and Latin America, like ceviche, guacamole, grilled seafood and tacos. If you’re looking for a cocktail that tastes freshly mixed without all the fuss, you’re only a Delola away.
Whether you know Dwayne Johnson by his ring name, “The Rock,” or as one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, it’s very difficult to not be a fan. The Rock exudes positivity and is a man of many talents, including making tequila. His tequila, Teremana, has been flying off the shelves since its release in March 2020. Making the top 15 tequila brands to try from Rolling Stone in 2021, it is easy to call this endeavor a success. Teremana, meaning “spirit of the earth” is a 100% Blue Weber Agave, small batch tequila that comes in blanco, añejo and reposado varietals.
Her sisters may be focused on cosmetics and beauty lines, but Kendall Jenner is paving her own path as a tequila brand owner. Jenner’s tequila has been given 16 tasting awards at six international spirit competitions, including a Gold Medal and Best Reposado at the World Tequila Awards. The name 818 comes from Jenner’s home area code in San Fernando Valley, California. Each taste of the blanco flavor provides brilliant clarity alongside a citric aroma and light minerality on the palate and the añejo and reposado both offer different levels of depth and richness. 818 also recently released the Eight Reserve, a luxurious, award-winning blend of añejo and extra añejo tequila aged up to eight years. Plus, it comes in a gorgeous bottle that truly belongs on any tequila collector’s shelf.
This premixed cocktail is best served ice-cold (no mistakes). Top Gun: Maverick actor Miles Teller is one of a few American investors in this Finnish gin and soda canned cocktail. Why? Because it’s delicious, plain and simple. The roots of long drinks go back to the 1952 Summer Games in Finland, when the country commissioned the creation of a revolutionary new liquor drink in order to serve drinks quickly enough to all the visitors. The result was a tasty cocktail made with gin and citrus soda that soon became a Finnish tradition. It’s citrusy, refreshing and begging to come along to your next pool, beach or boat day.
Dan Aykroyd might not be the first name that comes to mind when you see this spooky good skull-shaped bottle on shelves, but he’s the brains (no pun intended) behind Crystal Head Vodka. The bottle alone is worth the purchase, but the juice inside is even better. Crystal Head carries several unique expressions of vodka using creative ingredients like Canadian corn, English wheat and Blue Weber Agave, ensuring that each bottle is a different tasting experience. Collect them all and consider it an investment in Halloween décor, too!
This is an interesting one: an Irish whiskey made by an American actor benefiting humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Hollywood heavyweight Liev Schreiber is the name behind Sláinte Irish Whiskey, a smooth, peppery whiskey that strikes the perfect balance of ripe banana and toast followed by warm vanilla and spice. Schreiber, the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, has pledged $1 from every bottle of Sláinte sold to BlueCheck, a collective of nonprofits and aid initiatives providing humanitarian relief in Ukraine. If there’s anything we love more than a good whiskey, it’s a good whiskey that makes a difference.
Want to see how these celebrity spirits stack up in a taste test? Find out as we sample 10 of them in a head-to-head challenge.
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