7 Best Celebrity Whiskeys That Are Actually Worth Tasting
Celebrity whiskeys are everywhere. Keifer Sutherland has one, Conor McGregor has one — heck, even the band Metallica has ventured into the brown spirits business. That means there are a lot of whiskeys to choose from released by famous folk. But here’s the reality: a celebrity and a whiskey maker are not one and the same.
To put it bluntly, some celebrity whiskeys are good and some are, well, downright terrible.
Whiskey Raiders spirits critic Jay West has tasted many whiskeys during the tenure of his career here at Raiders, and these are some of the best celebrity whiskeys he says are actually worth spending your hard-earned cash on.
7 Best Celebrity Whiskeys
Whiskey JYPSI Legacy — Eric Church
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Whiskey JYPSI Legacy is an offering from Outsiders Spirits, a company that was co-founded in May by country music star Eric Church. Church met serial entrepreneur Raj Alva, and the two used their shared passions for whisky and fighting convention to launch Whiskey JYPSI.
Whiskey JYPSI Legacy is a blend of 70% 7- and 8-year-old Indiana Bourbon, 21% 20-year-old Canadian rye whisky and 9% 4-year-old Indiana single malt whisky. The spirit was bottled at 115 proof and has a suggested retail price of $200.
Whiskey JYPSI Legacy hosts a light, salted caramel-driven nose with wafts of sweet cream. The palate is beautifully integrated with more threads of salted caramel and puffs of tobacco smoke, fading into a finish that lingers with notes of toffee, vanilla bean and malt.
“I love that on the surface, you have no idea this is a celeb whiskey,” West wrote in his review. “In the glass… you’d never know it, either. Full of complexity and flavor, it’s well-blended and easy to drink and savor.”
Heaven’s Door Redbreast: Master Blender’s Edition — Bob Dylan
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Bob Dylan’s lauded whiskey brand Heaven’s Door stemmed from the singer’s desire to “create a collection of American Whiskeys that, in their own way, tell a story,” according to the brand.
The Heaven’s Door Redbreast: Master Blender’s Edition tells quite a story of its own. The spirit was finished in Redbreast Irish Whiskey casks. Redbreast Whiskey is known for using sherry casks, and this Heaven’s Door expression was aged in those very casks for 10 years.
The decade in Redbreast casks lent the spirit a nutty, sweet nose. The palate for Heaven’s Door Redbreast: Master Blender’s Edition offers up generous flavors of orchard fruit. The finish is long and complex, with tobacco, peaches and cream. Heaven’s Door Redbreast hosts a suggested retail price of $100.
Balcones Tres Hombres — ZZ Top
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Continuing the musical theme is Balcones Distilling and ZZ Top’s collaborative whiskey, Tres Hombres. Early batches of this Texas hypebeast, limited-quantity whiskey priced at $60 sold out within minutes.
Balcones and ZZ Top both hail from Texas and share an affection for their home state. The Tres Hombres whisky is a liquid love letter to the Lone Star state.
With a mashbill of roasted blue corn, malted barley and rye matured in virgin oak, this easy-drinking “honeybomb” is, as West puts it, “good whiskey first, and a celebrity collaboration second.”
ZZ Top Tres Hombres has a fruity, malty nose with butterscotch aromas. The palate has some syrupy Dole fruit qualities, with loads of honey that continues into the easy and clean finish.
Lagavulin Offerman Edition 11 Year Charred Oak Cask — Nick Offerman
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This offering from Islay-based distillery Lagavulin is a collaboration between the Scotch producer and Nick Offerman. Offerman is best known for his role as the scotch aficionado Ron Swanson on “Parks and Recreation.”
The 11-year-old single malt has a suggested retail price of $80 and was released in October 2022. As far as peated scotches go, this one is on the lighter side yet still retains the salinity and peat that is synonymous with Islay scotch.
The spirit was aged in European and American oak casks that were shaved down and extensively re-charred. The heavy char gives way to a smoky, slate-driven aroma with loads of ash characteristics.
On the palate, this whisky is a lot brighter, with honey, apple and pear aromas coupled with brine. The finish is short and pleasant, and West describes this whisky as “the perfect introduction for Irish and Bourbon drinkers who are peat-curious.”
Blackened X Wes Henderson Bourbon — Metallica
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This whiskey is perfect for fans of Metallica and Angel’s Envy alike. Wes Henderson co-founded the Louisville-based distillery Angel’s Envy. Once he retired from his company, Henderson joined forces with Blackened, the heavy metal band’s whiskey brand, for this release.
The limited-release, 6-year-old expression is bottled at barrel proof, non-chill-filtered and finished in port wine barrels. The spirit hosts a 58.1% ABV percentage and has a suggested retail price of $100.
With a rich and funky nose, Blackened X Wes Henderson hosts aromas of bread pudding, sweet wine and opulent nougat.
On the palate, there’s just a little bit of heat and a pleasantly nutty funkiness. With a long and sweet finish, this is a great choice for bourbon fans who like drinking their dessert.
American Highway Reserve
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It makes perfect sense that “Whiskey Lullaby” singer Brad Paisley would start his own whiskey brand. The country music singer’s blend of four premium Kentucky bourbons is distilled by a handful of producers and bottled by Bardstown Bourbon Company.
A quarter of this whiskey actually went on tour with the musician and traveled across the country with him prior to being blended into the final spirit. American Highway Reserve contains 28% 4-year whiskey, 25% 4-year whiskey, 24% 13-year whiskey and 23% 15-year whiskey.
American Highway Reserve has a suggested retail price of $100. This bourbon has plenty of dulcet, dessert-driven tones and hosts an ABV of 48%.
American Highway Reserve presents “sweet, buttery and maple forward,” aromas, according to West. The mouthfeel is lighter and conjures up images of a trip to a bakery with pastry and toasted praline flavors. The finish is light, sweet and dessert-forward, making it another perfect after-dinner dram!
Puncher’s Chance 14 Year Left Cross
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Puncher’s Chance is a Kentucky Bourbon collaboration between famed MMA announcer Bruce Buffer and Wolf Spirit Distillery.
Buffer is known as the “Voice of Mixed Martial Arts” and explains that “A puncher’s chance means that anyone has the potential to succeed, whatever the odds or circumstances, if he or she works for it,” according to the brand.
This Kentucky bourbon is what West describes as an “interesting sip that challenges preconceived notions” and punches well above its weight. Boxing puns aside, Puncher’s Chance is a 14-year-old spirit with a 48% ABV percentage.
Where the distillate was made is a mystery, and it was aged for 14 years prior to being finished in Jamaican dark rum barrels.
Puncher’s Chance hosts aromas of maple, tobacco, brown sugar and peanut brittle. The brown sugar carries through to the palate all the way through to a mango-infused finish with some Jamaican funk. A great bourbon for rum lovers!
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