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Celebrity Spirits – What to Try

Celebrity Spirits – What to Try
By Annemarie D'Alessandro


Becoming a celebrity has many perks, one of which is having enough money to create your own spirits! Most commonly, celebrities will dive into creating their own tequila brands because the market is ripe for making profits. But, some celebrities will make other spirits like gin, vodka, rum, and whiskey just because it’s their personal favorite and they want to have a drink that’s uniquely them. For this week’s post I have selected five different celebrity spirits that are worthy of your hard-earned money, so read on if you want to learn more! 

Tequila: Casamigos Blanco – George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman
I picked this tequila for two reasons: it’s small-batch made with hand-picked ingredients of the highest quality and we have it in stock at Passion Vines! Casamigos has become a popular tequila over the years, and for all the right reasons. George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman founded the brand in 2013 in hopes to make their own tequila that was so smooth and flavorful that it didn’t need the addition of lime or salt to make it enjoyable. In the beginning, there were never plans to release it to the public, which adds an authenticity to the product that you can taste. The brand was sold to Diagio in 2017, but both George and Rande still remain in active roles with the brand. 
Casamigos has a few different tequilas to choose from as well as a Mezcal, but for starters, I think the best bottle to try is the Casamigos Blanco. The Blanco is made with hand-selected Blue Weber agave which is grown in the Jalisco Highlands of Mexico for 7 years before being used in the tequila. When distilling the final product, it is allowed to rest for 2 months to give you a crisp, clean mouthfeel complemented by notes of citrus, vanilla, and sweet agave. 

Rum: Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum – Kenny Chesney and Master Blender Mike Booth
Widely known for one of his hit songs Old Blue Chair, Kenny Chesney has set out to become known for something more unique – rum. Kenny founded the brand Blue Chair Bay with Master Blender Mike Booth to recreate the Caribbean island life in a drink. The distillery is named West Indies Rum Distillery and is located in Brighton, Black Rock on the island of Barbados, so every drop is made entirely in the Caribbean! The distillery has also been recognized as one of the most efficiently run rum distilleries on the island so I’m sure there will be plenty more Blue Chair Bay Rum for years to come. 

The Blue Chair Bay lineup includes 10 different flavors that all remain below 100 calories per serving – yes you read that right! One of the best ones to try in my opinion would be the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum. It features notes of sun-soaked island coconut blended with the light Caribbean rum that delivers a smooth finish. It is absolutely wonderful in comparison to Malibu Coconut rum, and if you end up enjoying Blue Chair Bay more, you have 9 other flavors to look forward to!

Gin: Aviation American Batch Distilled Gin – Ryan Reynolds
Aviation Gin is a breath of fresh air within the gin scene. Ryan Reynolds was inspired to create gin after he had a cocktail containing gin that focused less on juniper, a common spice that strongly leads the flavor palates of most gins. So, he and his team of master distillers came up with a gin containing cardamom, coriander, French lavender, anise seed, sarsaparilla, juniper, and two different kinds of orange peel – all internationally sourced to maintain the highest quality standards. The result is a gin that is wonderfully balanced in all aspects while delivering a smooth, easy to drink mouthfeel. 
One of my favorite things about the brand is their attention to detail. Every bottle of Aviation Gin is handcrafted in 100-case batches by the master distillers and once the bottles are filled, all of the labels, caps, and cap strips are applied by hand! So every time you buy a bottle of Aviation Gin you know you’re getting their highest quality product, and the gin itself will lead you away from any other gin on the market. We also carry this gin at Passion Vines so stop in, say hello, and give this bottle a go! 

Vodka: Crystal Head Vodka – Dan Aykroyd
Some of us here in the states may not know Dan Aykroyd as well as other celebrities, but he has surely made another name for himself with Crystal Head Vodka. Dan launched the brand in 2008 because he wanted to create an original clean vodka. Nowadays they have multiple versions and collaborations, but the brand became known for their original vodka that was produced by distilling peaches and cream sweet corn into a neutral grain spirit, which was then blended into water sourced from Newfoundland, Canada. The vodka is distilled a total of 4 times before being filtered 7 times, ultimately giving you the smooth experience everyone desires. Because of the distilling process, Crystal Head Vodka has maintained their no additive status: no added glycerol, citrus oils, or sugars that are often found in other vodkas! 
The brand also tries its best to be active within the community. In May of 2020, Crystal Head Vodka released a special edition Pride Bottle to demonstrate their support and to celebrate diversity and equality! Recently, the brand has also taken steps to reduce their use of boxes within the distribution process to limit the amount of packaging waste they produce in support of sustainable efforts within the community. 

Whiskey: BlackenedTM American Whiskey – Metallica and Master Distiller Dave Pickerell
Whether you’re a fan or not, just about everyone has heard of Metallica at least once in their lifetime. But why did the band partner with Master Distiller Dave Pickerell? Well, Dave was a trailblazer in the whiskey industry who became Master Distiller of Maker’s Mark for years. After perfecting his craft, he made a name for himself with Whistle Pig – a whiskey that is immensely popular among whiskey drinkers. Metallica loved that Dave was also a master of his craft, so they decided to partner with him to create an original American whiskey. Blackened is predominantly a bourbon but it also features some ryes to give you some savory spices. The whiskey is also finished in black brandy casks which gives the final product subtle notes of apricot that really helps bring out the honey and caramel notes in the bourbon. 
The coolest part of Blackened American Whiskey? Every batch is directly altered by Metallica via playlists. Metallica makes a playlist of their songs uniquely for each batch and in the last step before bottling, each batch is pummeled by its playlist. The sound waves force the whiskey to move around more, seep deeper into the barrels, and pick up more wood flavor in the finished product. The differences in playlists makes each batch taste slightly different, making each bottle produced unique. What’s even cooler is you can actually look up the exact playlist your whiskey “listened to” using the bottle’s batch number on the website and you can add the playlist to your Spotify account! In general, though, the whiskey will feature notes of spice on the forefront complemented by notes of honey, cinnamon, allspice, clove, and mint with hints of the apricot mentioned earlier. It delivers a long, smooth finish with notes of butterscotch taffy, maple, and honey!

I hope this post has helped you explore some of the world of celebrity spirits! There are many more celebrity spirits not mentioned here, and we haven’t even touched the world of celebrity wines. As always, it’s best to try whatever piques your interest, and seems like it would fit your tastes the best! And, if you ever come across a product we don’t currently carry here at Passion Vines, stop in or give us a call and we may be able to place an order on your behalf, have it delivered to the store, and hold it especially for you to come to pick up.

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Aviation - American Gin
Aviation - American Gin
United States | Oregon Gin

How two innovators, Prohibition, and juniper, lead to the first American craft gin.

At a party in Seattle in 2005, bartender Ryan Magarian was introduced to summer gin by a friend from Portland. Struck by the subtlety of gin with... Read More

 
Current price:  $32.49
Casamigos - Blanco Tequila
Casamigos - Blanco Tequila
WE
92
Mexico | Jalisco Tequila

The unique flavor and profile of Casamigos Tequila comes from our extra-slow fermentation process, which takes 80 hours to complete (and is double the industry standard). Another special feature of the fermentation process is... Read More

 
Original price: $57.49
Sale price:  $49.99
All sizes are 750mL unless otherwise noted.
Vintages and ratings subject to change at any time.
All pricing and availability subject to change.
Artwork does not necessarily represent items for sale.

 

 

All sizes are 750mL unless otherwise noted.
Vintages, ratings and product packaging (images) are subject to change at any time.
All pricing and availability are subject to change.
Artwork does not necessarily represent items for sale.

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