Star Quality No longer content with lending their name to a bottle, celebrities are using their influence to build culturally driven brands while championing positive change across the industry. Words: Hannah Currie
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eorge Clooney is often credited with establishing the celebrity drinks model, having allegedly stumbled accidentally on the opportunity when he started making small-batch tequila in the 2010s for a circle of close friends. Alongside Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, the first iteration of Casamigos was only ever consumed at
home and at private events, but within four years it had grown into a global business, culminating in a US$1 billion sale to Diageo. The decade since has seen a sharp rise in celebrity-backed drinks brands. Ryan Reynolds reportedly sold his stake in Aviation American Gin for US$600m, while brands such as Kendall Jenner’s 818 and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Teremana have staked their claim on the market. There are now said to be more than 650 celebrity-affiliated drinks brands globally, up from 40 in 2018. The latest available IWSR data suggests this appeal is translating into genuine category growth, with tequila backed by public figures growing 40% in 2022, three times the category rate of 13%. But as the market has matured, so too has the role of the celebrity founder. While some entrants may still be dismissed as vanity projects, a new generation is taking a more considered approach, with genuine origin stories, innovative techniques and involvement in the day-to-day business. Rather than relying on fame, they are using their platforms to shape what a brand truly stands for, and increasingly, how the wider industry around it operates.