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.
Liane Starr contributed to this report.
It turns out even celebrities got antsy during the pandemic. But while other people made sourdough bread or took up knitting, "The Fighter" star invested in a line of tequila. The brand has impressive credentials, too: Flecha Azul, co-founded by Mexican PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and entrepreneur Aron Marquez, has a distillery in Jalisco, Mexico, which has been owned and operated by a local family since 1840. The brand sells five types of tequila and can be found in California, Texas, Nevada, and Georgia with plans for a nationwide launch later this year.
While other celebrities may go to distilleries or learn about the complex nature of making alcohol to impress customers, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star and model Kendall Jenner doesn't have to to anything more than mention she's affiliated with a booze brand on her Instagram for it to sell through the roof. "To put it in context right now, in the first two months that we’ve been in business, we have orders for more cases of Tequila than we expected to sell in the first two years," 818 CEO Mike Novy told The Spirits Business.
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The Rock had gotten into the tequila game before the pandemic hit, but not by much — his Teremana brand launched in March 2020. Despite Covid-19 creating some production hiccups, the brand launched Blanco, Reposado, and most recently, Añejo versions. If you get your hands on a bottle of Añejo, appreciate the packaging: every bottle is dipped by hand in black wax before being hand-packaged at the brand’s distillery in Jesus Maria, Jalisco, Mexico.
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.
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.
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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, 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.
The "Breaking Bad" co-stars decided co-owning a premium, moderately-priced mezcal was one way to keep their working relationship going after the end of the series, and it's paid off. The alcohol has won multiple awards its smoothness and rich taste.
Made from grapes instead of potatoes or grain, Ciroc Vodka got off to a shaky start finding fans in 2003. But when Sean "Diddy" Combs agreed to develop the brand in the U.S. for half of the company's profits in 2007, the booze quickly became the vodka of choice in hip-hop circles — and profits grew over 40-fold. Combs didn't just lend his name to the brand but claims he came up with flavors including coconut, peach, mango, pineapple, apple, and more. In 2014, Combs also went in with Cîroc owner Diageo to buy ultra-premium tequila brand DeLeon, which can sell for up to $90 a shot.
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. 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."
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
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.
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Rapper and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges started the Conjure Cognac alcohol brand in 2009 and partnered with Birkedal Hartmann and Master Blender Phillipe B. Tiffon with the goal of making a quality but affordable cognac. He doesn't just stump for the brand — he works with Tiffon to personally blend the cognac. "I've been a Cognac drinker for a long time, and the good stuff has always been expensive," said Ludacris. "I wanted Conjure to be like [Remy Martin's costly] Louis XIII, but for an affordable price so people living in urban neighborhoods could enjoy it, too."
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.
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Actor Dan Aykroyd is a man of eclectic interests: comedy, American blues music, vodka, and 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.
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Before you assume the name of this vodka is a play on words, effen actually means smooth in Dutch. The rapper and actor started the brand collaboration with the super-premium vodka in 2014, which comes in black cherry, raspberry, cucumber, blood orange, green apple, and original flavors. Fiddy reportedly sold $60 million of his shares in the company in 2017, but still has a stake in the brand.
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.
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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
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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