20 Best Celebrity Liquors And Spirits

Celebrity spirits have had a moment that has never seemed to taper off, with some of the most well-known actors, comedians, chefs, and even rock legends founding or at least investing in brands across the spectrum, from whiskey and bourbon to vodka, tequila, and the ever-refreshing canned seltzer. According to a 2023 report from Union's OnPrem Insights, which gathers data from over 1,000 high-volume accounts using the POS platform, celebrity brands are only continuing to grow, and guests are paying, on average, 73 percent more per drink. The report also stated that nearly 80 percent of the venues in the report carried celebrity spirits, and those celebrity spirits represented about 10 percent of sales. Celebrities are conquering the spirits industry, and with so many newcomers entering the landscape, there are no signs of slowing down.

With so many celebrity-backed spirits out there to choose from, we tasted a lot of them and constructed a list of our top 20, which only just scratches the surface when you look at the entire market. Each spirit included in this roundup is worthy of ordering at a bar or having at home, and each has an exciting story to go along with it. Whether you're a fan of the celebrity or just a fan of the spirit they're responsible for, we've absolutely found a celebrity-backed spirit to enhance your boozy routine.

Pantsless and proud of it, Matthew and Camila McConaughey launched their Pantalones Tequila late in 2023, intending to give the rest of the tequila industry a "kick in the pants," noting that Pantalones Organic Tequila is "the best thing we've made with our pants on." Pantalones means pants in Spanish, but it's also a slang term for guts, which makes sense since tequila is not a spirit for the faint of heart or tolerance. McConaughey, famous for both serious and silly roles, co-founded the brand with his wife to celebrate having fun and doing good without taking life too seriously. 

The Pantalones Tequila portfolio includes a blanco, a reposado aged nine months, and an añejo aged 15 months. We had the chance to taste the blanco varietal and were impressed with the smooth sippability and the sweet, citrusy finish with just the right amount of honey and spice. The agave is very present, making it more of a sipping tequila than anything else, but it can be equally as enjoyable in a variety of tequila-based cocktails like the paloma or tequila sunrise.

Gin has been experiencing quite the renaissance in the spirits world, with the global gin market estimated to be worth $15.2 billion in 2022 and projected growth of almost 5% over the next several years, according to a 2023 report from SevenFifty Daily. And with classic gin drinks like the French 75 and the martini continuing to gain traction and popularity with consumers and bartenders alike, it makes sense to get into the market with a quality product and strike while the iron is at its hottest. With Aviation Gin, Ryan Reynolds has done just that, acquiring mass appeal worldwide for his American-made gin through humorous advertising. Lucky for him, the liquid inside is just as good as the commercials say.

Distilled using a propriety blend of botanicals including cardamom, coriander, French lavender, anise seed, sarsaparilla, juniper, and two kinds of orange peel,  Aviation Gin is sweet, citrusy, and juniper-forward on the nose, with a spicier, floral flavor on the palate. We love Aviation in a perfect martini, which allows the soft citrus notes to shine, or in a classic negroni where it mixes beautifully with the sweet vermouth and the bitter campari.

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are a match made in television heaven — if you've never watched Breaking Bad, we recommend pausing reading this right now and watching the entire series — so the fact that they teamed up to make an award-winning mezcal seems like a perfect fit. Mezcal tends to be overshadowed by tequila, its sibling in agave. Still, Dos Hombres has managed to stand out as a top-shelf spirit in a category that is home to some seriously impressive mezcal options, such as Rey Compero and Del Maguey, winning several awards from international spirits competitions since its launch in July 2019.

Dos Hombres has two varietals in its portfolio: One made from 100% Espadin agave and a limited edition small batch offering made from 100% Tobala agave. The Espadin is rich and fruity on the nose, with notes of apple and ripe mango, but with a smooth, slightly creamy, smoky finish reminiscent of the barrels it's fermented in. You could mix this into a mezcal cocktail, but we like it best with an ice cube, sipped slowly for maximum enjoyment.

Unlike many of the celebrity spirits on this list, the celebrity Flecha Azul can now claim as one of its principal investors didn't start with the brand. Flecha Azul was launched in 2020 by co-founders Abraham Ancer, currently ranked the No. 1 Mexican golfer in the world, and Aron Marquez, CEO of Wildcat Oil Tools, while Mark Wahlberg joined the team in 2022 to support the brand's growth. In addition to having Wahlberg on board, Flecha Azul can flex another impressive claim, being one of the few Mexican-owned and operated tequila brands worldwide. The Flecha Azul portfolio has five varietals: blanco, reposado, anejo, cristalino, and extra añejo, all made from 100% Blue Weber agave.

We had the chance to try the Flecha Azul Reposado, aged for six months in American bourbon oak barrels. It's bright and oaky on the nose, with sweet notes of vanilla, caramel, and buttered nuts on the finish. We'd recommend this as something to sip on neat, or if you want to mix it with something, a splash of soda water will brighten it up and make it a refreshing summer sip.

The words "smooth" and "easy" are frequently used when describing Fraser & Thompson whiskey, which is no surprise, as one of the co-founders is Michael Bublé. It's almost as if Paul Cirka, Master Distiller for Fraser & Thompson, took the sultry, easy tones of Bublé's voice and transferred them directly into the bottle. Blended and bottled in Bardstown, KY, Fraser & Thompson is made in American oak barrels from a blend of Canadian whisky and Kentucky bourbon, resulting in a product North America can be truly proud of.

Fraser & Thompson is one of the more unique whiskies we've tried, with a sweet, fruit-forward flavor profile without a lot of oak. On the palate, we got strong vanilla and salted caramel notes, with a hint of spice and a smooth finish. As far as how to enjoy this, the smooth finish — perhaps almost too smooth for the drinker who likes a little extra oomph in their whiskey — makes it well-suited for someone just getting into whiskey drinking. We especially enjoyed this in a classic whiskey sour, allowing the sweet, figgy flavor of the whiskey to be the star.

Even if you know nothing about mixed martial arts or boxing, you probably know the name Conor McGregor. It seems logical that he would take his go-hard attitude out of the octagon and into a bottle of Irish whiskey — he is Irish, after all — with Proper Twelve. A blend of Irish grain and single malt Irish whiskey, the McGregor-backed spirit is named for the area where he grew up, Dublin 12, and is produced at the oldest whiskey distillery in Ireland.

A popular trope among many celebrity-backed spirits, McGregor says that his goal with Proper Twelve is to create a whiskey for everyone, and so far, he's hit the mark. Proper Twelve is easy to drink: It has a floral, vanilla nose and sweet, fruity notes on the palate with just a hint of spice. The finish is woody with some burnt caramel, making it easy to sip without too much burn. Proper Twelve is undoubtedly a cocktail lover whiskey, and we love it in the most Irish of cocktails, the Irish coffee.

When Brian Facquet of Do Good Spirits brought in Rachael Ray to work on Staple Gin, it was a match like spaghetti and meatballs. As a chef who regularly cooks with spirits, creating a gin with some versatility seemed logical. On the back of the bottle, you can see how Facquet and Ray came up with the final recipe, which says much about the relationship between chef and distiller. "First, there were friends, plenty of libations, some cheese, good bread, and lots of food. It was a perfect collection of nights around the table until all that was left was a classic martini and the recipe for staple gin."

Staple gin infuses various herbs and aromatics, including bergamot, coriander, orris, juniper, and bitter orange, but the real standout of this spirit is the Castelvetrano olives. You have citrus and grassy herbs on the nose, with subtle floral notes. The flavor and texture, however, are really special, with a rich, briny flavor from the olives and a luscious, almost creamy texture from the olive oil. This gin works beautifully in a dirty martini or a Gibson, where the base spirit is the star in the glass.

Sammy Hagar and Guy Fieri are kindred spirits from two different worlds — Hagar, a legendary rock and roller who is already a tastemaker in the food and spirits business with his renowned Cabo Wabo brand as well as Sammy's Beach Bar Rum and the Sammy's Beach Bar & Grill chain of restaurants, and Fieri, a spiky blonde-haired, convertible-driving chef known for his countless Food Network shows and portfolio of over 70 restaurants. Happily, they joined forces to create Los Santo in 2019 with a series of impressive tequilas and mezcals.

With the help of third-generation Master Distiller Juan Eduardo Nunez, Hagar and Fieri launched their Santo Fino collection, which includes a blanco, reposado, añejo, and mezquila. We had the chance to sample the añejo, an additive-free spirit aged 24 months and made with 100% Blue Weber agave. On the nose, the añejo is delightfully fruity and sweet, with notes of vanilla and caramel. A smooth sip, the flavor is spicy and herbaceous, with a fruity finish. We recommend this as a sipping tequila, but if you're craving a tequila cocktail, sub out whiskey for tequila in a classic old fashioned.

The barrel-aging process of making tequila is an essential step, so when Dom Dionislo "Nicho" Real, producer of Calirosa Tequila, accidentally received red wine barrels at his distillery, it became a beautiful mistake. The barrel aging infuses flavor and color into each expression, which includes a rosa blanco, reposado, añejo, extra añejo, and extra añejo cinco anjos. When Adam Levine and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, partnered with the family-owned distillery in 2021, they hoped to get the word out about this unique spirit and introduce it to the world. We had the chance to sample the rosa blanco, reposado, and añejo varietals to get an idea of the flavor profile across the portfolio.

The rosa blanco, aged one month, is fresh and fruity on the nose, with a palate of sweet fruit and hibiscus — a no-brainer for first-time tequila or regular rosé drinkers. The reposado, aged for nine months, leans more citrusy, with notes of orange and pineapple — a spirit for the tropical cocktail lover. Aged for 18 months, the añejo is our favorite of the three, with lovely notes of caramel and maple syrup and a toasted hazelnut finish ideal for sipping.

Famed for his Sammy's Beach Bar & Grill restaurant chain, Sammy Hagar is more than just the former lead singer of Van Halen, considering the success he's had in the hospitality industry. Launched back in 2012, the Sammy's Beach Bar Rum portfolio taps into the island and beach lifestyle that Hagar has lived for most of his life. (Fellow rocker Rick Springfield partnered with the Hagar on the project.) Distilled in Puerto Rico with all-natural ingredients and aged in American oak bourbon barrels, it's the kind of rum you can't help but mix into a tropical-inspired cocktail. The portfolio has three varietals: the Platinum, which is aged for one year and distilled four times; the Red Head, which is aged for one year and infused with a blend of natural flavors, fruits, and vegetables; and the Kola Spiced, which is made with kola nut extract.

The Platinum Rum is a well-balanced spirit that benefits significantly from using cane molasses and the barrel aging time. It's light and sweet on the nose, with slightly floral and grassy notes. The palate is a tropical paradise, with the flavors of the Caribbean coming through with creamy coconut, banana, and pineapple. We love this in a classic mojito to highlight the base spirit or in a piña colada to let those tropical fruit flavors shine.

When Rande Gerber, George Clooney, and Mike Meldman launched Casamigos Tequila in 2013, the tequila industry was initially heating up. Gerber, a famed nightlife entrepreneur; Meldman, founder and CEO of Discovery Land Company; and Clooney, an award-winning actor, worked on Casamigos in Jalisco, Mexico, for years as something they could enjoy at home with friends and family, with no intention of releasing it to the public. Ultimately, they came around, launching with almost instant success and eventually selling the brand to Diageo in 2017 for $700 million. The Casamigos portfolio comprises five spirits: blanco, reposado, cristalino, añejo, and mezcal. We had the chance to sample the blanco and the mezcal, two varieties that have helped define the Casamigos name.

The blanco is a great place to start; on the nose, it's sweet and fruity, with citrus and honey notes. Fruit-forward on the palate, we got notes of grapefruit and pear and a hint of vanilla with a long, smooth finish. While great in a tequila cocktail like a margarita, we love this all on its own for sipping. On the other end of the flavor spectrum, the mezcal is herbaceous and smoky on the nose with hints of fruit, a spicy, peppery flavor on the palate, and a creamy finish. Pour this into a glass with a big ice cube and enjoy.

Not everyone will get the opportunity to visit the French Riviera in their lifetime, but for a taste of its beauty and spirit, you have The Gardener gin. Founded by Brad Pitt, award-winning actor; Tom Nichol, former master distiller of Tanqueray gin; and Famille Perrin, the family that pioneered organic wine-making in France, The Gardener is a culmination of each of the elements that the founders bring to the table: sky, fire, and land. From the bottle design to the spirit, The Gardener embodies the French Riviera's art-de-vivre vibe.

The Gardener is a creation of Nichols' vision of a "perfect gin," distilling bitter orange bigarade, sweet orange, and pink grapefruit, all sourced from the French Riviera, into one elegant and subtle sip that is a twist on the traditional London Dry gin. The nose is herbaceous and well-balanced, with notes of juniper and dried berries. It's smooth and sippable on the palate, with the citrus flavors first and foremost and a smooth herbal finish. For a soft gin like this, we recommend treating it gently in a dry martini, a gin & tonic, or a negroni for some added flare.

The collaboration between Grammy award-winning Chris Stapleton and Buffalo Trace Distillery was written far before Traveller Whiskey even hit liquor store shelves. Said to have been inspired by a variety of different Buffalo Trace products for many of his songs, including his first record released in 2015, "Traveller," this is a partnership that, while new to the 240-year-old distillery, has produced an impressive blended whiskey. Advertised as "easy to drink, hard not to love," Traveller was created to impress the whiskey aficionados while being approachable for all.

Blended with various whiskies from the Sazerac portfolio, Traveller certainly hits the mark when it comes to being a whiskey for all. It is chocolatey and floral on the nose, with notes of sweet caramel and spice. The palate is smooth and sippable, with notes of burnt oak, caramel, and butterscotch and an autumn-spiced finish that goes down without a heavy burn. Traveller is undoubtedly worthy of drinking neat, perhaps with a splash of water or a clean ice cube, but it is equally as enjoyable in a classic old fashioned.

There is something incredibly rock and roll about the process that Dave Pickerell, founding distiller of Blackened Whiskey, and master distiller and blender Rob Dietrich, used to make this whiskey. Created with the band Metallica, the original Blackened is a blend of straight whiskeys finished in brandy casks and sonically enhanced using the black noise process to extract more flavor from the wood. You read that right — co-developed by engineers at Meyer Sound, this process produces low hertz sound waves, which causes the whiskey to reverberate quickly, interacting with the barrel and releasing wood compounds and flavors.

Blackened has a variety of expressions in its portfolio, starting with the original Blackened, continuing to its limited editions — Rye the Lightning, Cask Strength, and Blackened 72 Seasons — and the Masters of Whiskey Series, which includes Blackened X Willett, Blackened X Wes Henderson, and Blackened X Rabbit Hole. We sampled the Blackened Cask Strength variety, the same blend as the original but bottled at cask strength and non-chill filtered. The resulting spirit has a creamy mouthfeel with nutty caramel notes and hints of vanilla and spice. The finish is molasses sweet, with hints of cinnamon and autumn spices.

Can you smell what The Rock is cookin'? Lately, it's been a line of small-batch tequilas with a quality as impressive as his WWE career. Created in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson worked with a Mexican family-owned distillery to build Teremana Tequila, named from the Latin "terra," meaning earth, and "mana," the Polynesian word for spirit. The portfolio includes a blanco, reposado, and añejo, all made with brick oven-roasted agave and distilled in handmade copper pot stills.

The blanco is bright and citrusy with a fresh flavor, ideal as the star in a perfect margarita with fresh lime juice. The reposado is aged in American whiskey barrels for two months to a year, lending smooth, oaky notes with hints of vanilla and warm spices. Our favorite of the three expressions is the añejo, which is also whiskey-barrel rested for at least one to two years, resulting in a rich, warm spirit with notes of vanilla and roasted nuts to create a sweet and smooth finish. Sip this with nothing more than an ice cube and perhaps a squeeze of lime for the ultimate experience.

It's hard to imagine vodka being a creative spirit, with its clear color and lack of discernible flavor, unless it's of the flavored variety. However, Crystal Head Vodka, launched in 2008 by legendary comedy actor Dan Aykroyd, managed to find a way. Starting with the skull-shaped bottle and ending with the liquor itself, which is crafted from Canadian corn, distilled four times, and then filtered seven times through semi-precious Herkimer diamonds, Crystal Head is an impressive spirit that has been making waves in the industry as it picks up awards for flavor and creativity year after year.

Available in five varieties — original, aurora, onyx, John Alexander, and pride — Crystal Head is a cocktail drinker's vodka in every sense. The original is a delicate sip with a citrusy aroma, sweet vanilla flavor, and a smooth and creamy finish. We love this in a sweeter vodka cocktail like a cranberry orange crush to let the flavor of the vodka shine.

The history of the lonkero, in English, the long drink, a top-selling alcohol in Finland, goes back to the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, as the country needed to create a liquor drink that could be served quickly to the steady stream of visitors coming for the games. And so, the pre-mixture of gin, grapefruit, and soda was born and dubbed the Long Drink. After being launched in the US, actor Miles Teller, DJ Kygo, and golfer Rickie Fowler became heavily invested in getting the drink out to the masses and have continued to preach the Long Drink word as the canned cocktail gains popularity.

The Finnish Long Drink comes in four flavors: Traditional at 5.5% ABV; Zero at 5% ABV with 0 carbs and 0 sugar; Strong at 8.5% ABV; and Cranberry at 5.5% ABV. All of them are gin-based with a pleasant amount of bubbles for a refreshing sip. Still, we especially love the Cranberry varietal, which has just the right kick of fresh and tangy cranberries for a sip that's almost guaranteed to be a summer favorite.

Two bears, one cave, and now, one vodka. Made in Texas and launching in March 2024, Por Osos vodka is the brainchild of comedians Tom Segura and Bert Kreisher (The Machine, for those in the know), known for being occasionally shirtless but always hilarious best friends. The name Por Osos, meaning "for the bears" in Spanish because of Segura's Peruvian background, is a call out to their comedy podcast "2 Bears 1 Cave," as well as to their loyal fanbase, "the bears."

The premium vodka is gluten-free and crafted with premium ingredients, including non-GMO wheat and a patented finishing process from Persedo CRAFT (Controlled Removal and Finishing Technique) technology. The final result is a smoother product for a more approachable sip with less burn. On the nose, Por Osos is sweet with notes of vanilla, while the palate has notes of caramel, oak, sweet raisins, and a silky smooth finish. This vodka is ideal for a cocktail with sweet elements, like an old lace or a classic cosmopolitan.

When Blake Lively launched Betty Buzz in 2021, it was with a simple idea in mind — that what we drink should be held to the same standards as what we eat. Made with uncomplicated, high-quality ingredients and authentic flavors, the sparkling Betty Buzz drinks lineup made a bubbly splash in the hard seltzer market. In 2023, Lively took it a step further, launching Betty Booze, a line of gourmet, low-calorie sparkling cocktails with the same commitment to quality and flavor as Betty Buzz, but with an eye on crafting unique canned cocktails rather than just a bubbly seltzer.

Betty Booze has three flavors: Sparkling Bourbon with Apple Ginger Sour Cherry, Sparkling Tequila with Oak Smoked Lemonade, and Sparkling Tequila with Lime Shiso. All three are made with fresh fruits, herbs, and spices, and at only 4.5% ABV, they are an ideal cocktail for a refreshing summer tipple. Each cocktail is a delightful sip, but our favorite is the sparkling bourbon, with crisp apple flavor and just the right kick of ginger and tart sour cherry for a shockingly delicious and balanced cocktail right out of the can.

Few celebrities are so closely associated with the term 'the bar' as these three. For anyone who's ever watched Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," it goes without saying that drinking and bar culture is an important part of daily life for a lot of people, and that is the mindset that went into the creation of Four Walls Irish American Whiskey. Four Walls is triple-distilled grain and malt Irish whiskey blended with American rye for what they believe is the best-tasting whiskey they've ever had. They want drinkers to know that the feeling you get when drinking Four Walls is like finding the perfect bar with all the best elements — a haven from all the nonsense outside.

For those who want to skip the slow sipping and jump straight to taking shots, Four Walls is ideal for your next round. Bottled at 80 proof, it has notes of vanilla and melon on the nose, with some citrus and cinnamon. The palate is enjoyable, with flavors of fresh fruit, vanilla, caramel, banana bread, and candied ginger. We love this in a simple whiskey and ginger ale but think it's better suited alongside a beer and a loud "Slainte!" before you throw it back.