Celebrities enjoy beer, wine, and spirits… just like us! Unlike us common folk, however, celebs have the cash to operate their own distilleries, wineries, and breweries. Some do it because they have a true passion for the craft; others are just in it for the money, honey. Here's a look at just a few of the actors, musicians, and artists who have developed lucrative side gigs in the booze business.
Flush with success in the 1970s, director Francis Ford Coppola decided he needed a weekend retreat in the wine country of northern California. He purchased the decrepit Inglenook estate and set about restoring the vineyards, producing his first vintage in 1978. Four decades and more than $46 million later, Coppola's wine empire sprawls across Napa and Sonoma counties, as well as Oregon's Willamette Valley, producing varieties including cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, and chardonnay.
Related: 50 Great-Tasting Red Wines Under $20
Bob Dylan: musician, poet, artist, Nobel Prize winner, booze pitchman. Truly, a Renaissance man. Dylan lent his name to this line of upscale whiskeys, which launched in 2018 with Tennessee bourbon, double-barrel and rye whiskeys, all of which are emblazoned with images of wrought-iron designs Dylan himself created. Plans for a distillery and tasting room in Nashville are in the works for 2021, too.
Did you know that you can have many of these celebrity sips delivered directly to your door with services like Drizly and Saucey? Looking for a memorable gift for a star-obsessed spirits lover? ReserveBar allows shoppers to send bottles in luxury gift bags and leather holders — custom engraving is also available.
From a business standpoint, perhaps no actor has been more successful in the booze biz than George Clooney. He co-founded the brand in 2013 with his tequila-loving pals (and Los Cabos, Mexico, vacation-home neighbors) Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman. Four years later, the trio sold the brand to a British liquor company in a deal worth as much as $1 billion, according to The Guardian. Clooney remains a spokesman for the spirit.
Actors aren't the only people who've dipped their toes in the premium tequila market. Since 2016, country icon George Strait has been a pitchman and financial backer of this line of Mexican spirits, which has been produced for five generations.
Related: 15 Best Tequilas Under $30 a Bottle for Your Home Bar
Country singer Kenny Chesney is all about laid-back island living, sitting on the beach, sipping a drink and watching the waves roll in. Just listen to his 2004 song "Old Blue Chair," which inspired the name of this line of Caribbean rum he owns. We're not sure on which island Chesney's rums are produced (the website only says it is "made in the Caribbean"), but it is bottled by Fishbowl Spirits, based in very un-tropical Rochester, New York.
Fans of hip-hop star Jay-Z first caught a glimpse of this oversized, gilded bottle in the rapper's 2006 music video "Show Me What You Got." Produced by French winemaker Cattier, "Ace of Spades" Champagne quickly made a splash among well-heeled, partying athletes and hip-hop stars, despite (or because of) its $300 price tag. In 2014, Jay-Z bought the brand for an undisclosed amount that the seller described as "an offer we simply couldn't refuse," according to The New York Times. It's not bad, either, according to critics. Wine Enthusiast gave it a score of 91 out of 100, describing it as a "ripe, well-balanced wine."
What happens when a champion Formula One race car driver and the former chairman of K-Mart become friends over a shared love of Italian wine? They purchased a winery of their own in Napa, California, in 1996, which today produces varietals including cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, and pinot grigio. Like many celebs, Andretti doesn't involve himself in the day-to-day operations, though.
Related: 20 Affordable Wine Clubs That Will Satisfy Even the Snobs
You know her from "Criminal Minds," the aftershow for "The Boys," and as one of the voices on the animated series "Archer," but you may soon know her for her brand's pre-mixed cocktails. Choose between the Manhattan or Old-Fashioned cocktails, and appreciate that they're produced and bottled in Brooklyn without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Actor Dan Aykroyd is a man of eclectic interests: comedy, American blues music, vodka, crystal skulls attributed to mysterious ancient civilizations that were later proven to be a hoax. What's not a hoax is the fact that this vodka — which is distilled from wheat and produced in Newfoundland, Canada — is filtered through quartz crystals called Herkimer diamonds during the distillation process.
After more than a decade playing in the NFL, Drew Bledsoe gave up quarterbacking for viniculture, opening a winery in his hometown of Walla Walla, Washington. Unlike some celeb-backed productions, this one is no high-volume operation. With just four vineyards under cultivation, wine lovers have to get on a waiting list in order to purchase the very limited-run cabernet sauvignon and reserve blend that Doubleback produces.
Related: Not Just Napa: 30 American Wineries With Good, Cheap Wine
Former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar is no stranger to the world of celebrity-backed food and drink: his mini-chain of Cabo Wabo Cantinas have kept the party going since 1990. Party bud and Food Network star Guy Fieri is Hagar's business partner on this tequila, which was launched in 2019.
Related: We Tried Flaviar's Spirits Subscription Box — Here's How It Went
Founded in 2006, Aviation is an American-style gin distilled in Portland, Oregon. In 2018, actor Ryan Reynolds purchased a minority stake in the distillery and became the rugged face of the brand. Two years later, Reynolds sold his share in the company for more than $600 million, though he continues to promote the gin. (Just check out their website for proof. Get it? Proof? Ha!)
Another Hollywood hunk, Channing Tatum loves vodka so much that he and a buddy went on a quest to find the best American-made spirit they could find. That search led Tatum to Born and Bred, a small family-run operation in Driggs, Idaho. He liked it so much that he bought the company — or so goes the story he told Bon Appetit
Canadian hip-hop artist Drake is pitchman for and an equity partner in this brand of American whiskey founded by Brent Hocking, the man behind DeLeón Tequila. Despite what the name may suggest, this line of 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old bourbons has nothing to do with the state of Virginia. "The name is just to evoke kind of a sense of glamour," Hocking told Forbes. "It's just a sexy name."
Related: 20 Best Whiskeys Under $50
Singer Dave Matthews has had a healthy side gig as a "gentleman farmer" (as Food and Wine once described him) for the better part of two decades. In addition to a small winery near his adopted hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, Matthews has been a partner in California-based Dreaming Tree Wines. They've been producing cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay, and other varieties of table wines since their first release in 2011. Dave Matthews Band fans may recognize the name; it's the title of a song on the band's "Before These Crowded Streets" album.
Actor Kyle McLachlan has been actively involved in winemaking since 2005, when he founded this winery in Washington's Walla Walla Valley with vintner Eric Dunham of Dunham Cellars. Unlike some other celeb-owned alcoholic endeavors, McLachlan's wines have earned some seriously good reviews, including a 92 score from Robert Parker for their 2017 cabernet sauvignon.
Related: We Tried Walmart and Target Wines, and These Are the Best
What happens when '90s teen-pop heartthrobs grow up? They open a brewery in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and start making beer. Open since 2013, the brewery produces a half-dozen brews, including their signature MMMHops pale ale (2013 World Beer Championships gold medal winner) and Hop Jam Festive Ale, a farmhouse ale brewed in honor of the brothers' annual Hop Jam Music and Beer Fest.
Related: Top 25 U.S. Cities for Craft Beer
Singani, for those of you who don't know, is a spirit distilled from Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. Director Steven Soderbergh, the man behind the brand, says he discovered the spirit while filming the movie "Che" and became so enamored of it that he decided to launch a side hustle and bring the booze to the U.S.
