Cheers! Celebrities Continue To Top-Up On Alcohol Brand Endorsements

Celebrity endorsed alcoholic drinks collections are here to stay, with more brands available to quaff than ever before. Whether it’s the original Blues Brother himself, Dan Ackroyd, who was recently back in the UK to launch the latest edition to the revered Crystal Head Vodka collection, or Cardi B whipping up a storm with Whipshots, an alcohol infused cream for cocktails, there seems to be no stopping the celebrity bevvy train.

So which famous names are raising the bar, so to speak?

Wines

The Delevingne sisterly trio of Chloe, Poppy and Cara launched Della Vite, an Italian Prosecco with classy credentials. It has performed well in taste tests and is sustainably produced. After identifying a gap in the market to make a prevalent Prosecco brand, the sisters took the opportunity to develop their own.

“Entry-level Prosecco is a saturated market, but there aren’t many better-quality options out there. People don’t tend to have a favourite brand of Prosecco in the same way as they do champagne or gin,”explained Chloe Delevingne to Forbes.

One of the most famous celebrity wines is of course the Miraval wine from Chateau Miraval, the vineyard bought in 2008 by Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt. Despite hugely profitable, commercial success (Miraval was named the ‘Most Desirable Provence Rosé Wine in the World’), the wine business has been greatly impacted by the couple’s acrimonious divorce. Vanity Fair has recently published an article on the bitter fall-out entitled ‘War of the Rose’.

Australian singer & actress Kylie Minogue’s range of wines includes a recently launched, non-alcoholic rose. The collection launched in 2020, more recently in the USA, and retails in major grocers and department stores including Harvey Nichols. Reported drink sales figures suggest Ms Minogue’s fortune has been boosted by over £9.3 million which must be helping her heart go ‘Padam, Padam.’

Take That’s Gary Barlow launched a collection in 2021, Gary Barlow Organic Wines, and West Coast Rapper, Snoop Dog in partnership with 19 Crimes, has launched Snoop Cali Rosé, Snoop Cali Red and Snoop Cali Gold, a sparkling wine. Musicians are keen to be part of the potential offered by drinks endorsement.

Talking to CNN travel, Snoop Dog explained: “I didn’t grow up a wine drinker. Wine was foreign to me in my neighborhood, so I’ve probably been drinking wine for about 15 to 20 years. I was a hard drinker. Old Age, Gin & Juice, Hennessy, but once I started getting intellectually together, wine started to enhance my thinking and my thought process. You want to go with whatever you are or wherever you’re at – and as I got older, I wanted to age like fine wine. You are what you drink.”

Champagne

Marvel actor Idris Elba founded Porte Noire with Connaught Cellars, owned by David Farber. Fans are able to enjoy their champagne in the brand’s dedicated wine-bar in Kings Cross, London.

The most well-known celebrity endorsed champagne is likely to be Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac, also known as Ace of Spades. Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) sold 50% of the brand to luxury house of brands LVMH in what he described as a ‘beautiful marriage’ in 2021. The deal saw a valuation of the Armand de Brignac brand at an incredible $600 million, higlighting the growth and success achieved by Carter & co.

Speaking to comedian Kevin Hart in an interview for Hart to Heart in 2022, Carter identified the achievement as a break-through in diversity: “There’s no one that looks like us in champagne. It’s such a small place, very small.” explained Carter.

Spirits

Premium drinks leader, Diageo bought George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mile Meldman’s Casamigos which was the fastest growing super-premium tequila brand in the US in 2017. The deal was worth $1 billion. In 2020 Diageo bought Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin for $610 million.

Breaking Bad fans may appreciate the latest offering from stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul who lauched Dos Hombres Mezcal. Mezcal’s which have been ringing in prominence over the last decade, can still confuse some buyers. Simply put ‘all tequila is mezcal but not all mezcal is tequila’, according to expert Sydney Block, co-founder of Catedral Mi Padre Mezcal.

Launching a celebrity line in the drinks industry isn’t without controversy, as J-Lo experienced this year. In April, Jenny from the Block, launched Delola, a new company with an offering of tequila, vodka, and amaro spritzes inspired by the Italian dolce vita. The launch campaign included Lopez posing with the drinks but was soon under scrutiny as many were quick to point our that the star is known not to drink alcohol.

Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock introduced tequila brand Teremana to market in 2020 with a nod to his Polynesian heritage and Bruno Mars has favoured rum with the SelaVey Rum collection.

Another Round?

With figures from Statista predicting that the global market size for alcoholic beverages will surpass $2.2 trillion by 2025, there is little surprise that we are seeing so many celebrity-endorsed launches.

Consumers often look for reassurance from a branded drinks label and in a sea of competition a known name or recognisable face can provide just that. Seeking out authenticity and transparency, more buyers will expect those celebrities to do more than just pose with a glass. Those celebrities who invest time and believe passionately in their product will enjoy both sales success and credibility.

Dan Ackroyd is the majority owner of Globefill Inc which owns Crystal Head Vodka, a multi award-winning vodka founded in 2008 in Canada. Sold globally in over 50 countries, the iconic clear skull head design is brilliantly distinctive on the bartenders’ shelves.

Yet Ackroyd has been prolific fronting global tours and talks celebrating the brand for years; his authentic connection with a brand very much of his making, shines though.

The brand recently launched a special edition for Pride, supporting the global LGBTQ+ and human rights charity, Kaleidoscope and donating to the charity 20 per cent of its profits. The ‘Paint Your Pride’ bottle is available for around £60 in Harvey Nichols, Threshers and other drinks specialists.