Ryan Reynolds, Aviation Gin
Actor, funnyman, staunch motorcyclist, Deadpool. There are many dimensions to Ryan Reynolds, who is also a gin enthusiast (as well as smart businessman). Reynolds acquired a sizeable stake in Portland-based Aviation Gin in 2018, and is the face of the brand. About nine botanicals go into the making of the juniper-forward Aviation Gin, including coriander, cardamom, French lavender and two kinds of orange peel, which is named after the eponymous pre-Prohibition era cocktail. In September last year, Reynolds announced the opening of Aviation’s new distillery in Portland. “If a grown-up theme park and a bartender fell in love and produced offspring, it would be this gin factory,” he said in a press release. Aviation Gin is now owned by Diageo, which acquired it in 2020.
Robert De Niro, VDKA 6100
Back in 2014, the legendary Robert De Niro partnered with an Australian firm to launch VDKA 6100. The gluten-, sugar- and additive-free vodka, produced near Lake Taupo, in North Island, New Zealand, is distilled from whey protein and is said to have a taste “that hints at citrus and white pepper.” The name references the distance — 6100 miles — between New Zealand, where the vodka is distilled, and New York, where it was launched. Incidentally, De Niro, winner of two Oscars, also co-owns luxury lifestyle brand Nobu Hospitality along with Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa and film producer and businessman Meir Teper.
Matthew McConnaughey, Longbranch
Up until December 2022, Hollywood A-lister Matthew McConnaughey and the Campari Group-owned American whiskey brand Wild Turkey had a good thing going. McConnaughey, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2014 (Dallas Buyers Club), partnered with the Kentucky distillery to create Longbranch. Unlike its Wild Turkey siblings, the 8-year-old whiskey is filtered through white American oak and then again through charcoal from Texan mesquite in a nod to the actor’s roots. McConnaughey and Wild Turkey ended their collaboration last year, but the whiskey will very much remain part of the brand’s offerings.
Dwayne Johnson, Teremana Tequila
Teremana tequila, co-founded by actor and entrepreneur Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson just before the pandemic, sold over 600,000 cases in 2021, The tequila is distilled in Jalisco, in Mexico, and is sold in three expressions: Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo. Johnson, who has some 368 million followers on Instagram, regularly shills the tequila on his social media accounts. In an interview to The Spirits Business conducted last year, Johnson said, “We harvest only fully mature agave, slow roast in old‐world brick ovens, and distill in small (3,800‐litre) handmade copper pot stills to bring out a rich, flavourful tequila that reflects the earth it comes from.”
George Clooney, Casamigos Tequila
Founded in 2013 by actor George Clooney and American businessmen Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, Casamigos is among the fastest growing spirits brands in the United States. Clooney and Gerber, who once owned adjacent homes in Mexico, got interested in tequila during their stay there, and decided to create one that they could have with their friends. The tequila proved to be so popular in their circle that they decided to launch it in the US with the help of Meldman. The Casamigos website – the tequila is named after the Spanish words for ‘house’ and ‘friends’ – opens with this message from the three friends: “We love Casamigos on the rocks, by the shot and at times straight from the bottle. Our idea was to create the best tasting, smoothest tequila and mezcal, that didn't have to be covered up with salt or lime.” In 2017, Casamigos was sold to Diageo for $1 billion. Clooney, winner of two Academy Awards, still retains a small stake in the company.
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