Alcohol Companies Owned by Celebrities

Whether you're trying to support your favorite celeb or just looking for quality alcohol, there is no shortage of alcohol companies owned by celebrities. Celebrities are excellent entrepreneurs who know how to turn their money into even more. Once a celebrity has made a name for themselves, the smartest thing they can do is sell their name, whether that’s through products or services. There is a long list of celebrities who have been strategic enough to buy into the premium vodka market as well as the profitable market of American whiskeys.

One of the alcohol companies owned by celebrities is Casamigos tequila, which is owned by George Clooney and two of his friends, Rande Gerber (wife to Cindy Crawford) and Mike Meldman. This tequila brand was never intended to be released to the public, however, it turned out so well, that Clooney and his friends felt the need to share it with the world. They created the liquor brand in 2013, and in 2017, it was purchased by Diageo for $700 million dollars. Obviously, this is one of the successful alcohol brands out there and George Clooney was very smart in releasing it to the world.

SkinnyGirl is one of the alcohol companies owned by celebrities, and it is a very popular alcohol brand. SkinnyGirl is owned by Real Housewives of New York City star, Bethenny Frankel. SkinnyGirl started as one drink, the SkinnyGirl Margarita, and has now become a whole line of ready to drink cocktails, as well as SkinnyGirl Vodka and SkinnyGirl Wine. In 2011, Bethenny sold the company to Beam Global for around $100 million. It seems that many celebrities use these alcohol companies to make money with their name, and then sell them to someone who is better at running the company for the long term!

Just this year, we’ve added to the list of alcohol companies owned by celebrities with Aviation Gin’s new owner being Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds says that he hopes to play an active role in the company as opposed to just being the face of Aviation Gin. He wants to manage the day-to-day business activities as well as be involved in the creative vision of the company. It will be exciting to see where this alcohol brand can go with a big personality like Reynolds behind the scenes.

Both Fergie and Pitbull are major equity owners in the vodka brand known as Voli Light Vodka. This vodka brand can compete with large brands like Ciroc Vodka, because it’s between 25 and 40 percent less in calories and still comes in many delicious flavors. While Fergie is a partner and owner of the Voli brand, Pitbull has obtained a large amount of its equity.

Haig Club is one of the alcohol companies owned by celebrities, and its product is a single grain scotch whiskey. David Beckham is the celebrity in charge of this brand, and they work closely with the alcohol company Diageo. Another huge celebrity partner who is involved with Beckham in the Haig Club brand is Simon Fuller, who is popular from being a judge on American Idol.

Justin Timberlake has gotten in on the premium tequila business and joined the list of celebrities who are making money in the alcohol market. Sauza 901 is a 100 percent blue weber agave tequila, and Timberlake claims that it’s so smooth, you should drink it straight for the best experience. Timberlake says he has a passion for tequila, which is why he spent years working with Casa Sauza to create this premium brand that he is proud to put his name behind.

Sean Combs, also known as P. Diddy, always does things big. So, when he wanted to invest in an alcohol brand, he made sure to go with the biggest and best out there. Ciroc has always been a popular vodka brand and one of the best vodkas for your liquor cabinet. Combs has partnered with Ciroc because he says he is, “a luxury brand builder.” Combs knows that he can help build Ciroc, and in return, Ciroc will make him money. The relationship is mutually beneficial. Anything involving making money, Combs is sure to be involved.

In 2009, one of the alcohol companies owned by celebrities was created, and this one’s product is a cognac. Ludacris is the celebrity behind Conjure Cognac, and he was even involved in the mixing of the actual drink. Ludacris likes to drink his Conjure Cognac with a splash of cola, and he is behind this brand, because this is his drink of choice. Cognac is a popularly mentioned drink in music, and being a star in the hip hop scene, Ludacris promotes this brand well.

There are many celeb owned alcohol companies that sell vodka and tequila, but Kenny Chesney went for a new market and claimed his alcohol brand with rum. Kenny Chesney is known for singing about the islands in his country songs, so it makes sense that he would sell island style alcohol. His Blue Chair Bay rums are sold in delicious tropical flavors such as banana, spiced cream, and coconut. Chesney puts his face with the brand, but he also blends his brand into the product. It all ties together, which makes his company and his alcohol very successful.

There is no other type of alcohol you would expect Willie Nelson to endorse other than good old American whiskey. Nelson’s Old Whiskey River Bourbon is inspired by is 1978 song with the matching name. This bourbon is mellow and is perfect to drink when listening to Nelson’s music or any other country songs. There’s nothing like bourbon to warm the heart and make you feel at home!

All these alcohol companies have proven to be very successful. With the smart business mind of the famous combined with the faces behind the marketing, you can always expect money to be made when you mix these two.