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Whisky has been a popular feature on the big screen for decades, appearing alongside troubled characters in film classics like Casablanca and the James Bond franchise and more recent films such as John Wick and Kingsman. While often taking a backseat to the actors and actresses, whisky has remained a staple in the movies, playing a supporting role that helps to set the mood and tone of the scenes.
Whisky is often portrayed in movies as a drink that characters turn to during difficult times or when faced with tough decisions. Although some films depict whisky as a celebratory drink associated with high-class status, the main characters are likelier to pour themselves a glass of whisky to help them forget the struggles and challenges of the day.
Rather than compiling a list of all the movies featuring whisky, we have highlighted some of the whisky releases introduced to commemorate movies. These whiskies have been given names associated with a particular film or franchise. Here are some top picks for movie fanatics looking for whiskies to sip while watching their favourite films if you can find them.
Did you notice? In the 1980 Stanley Kubrick movie classic, Jack Nicholson's character Jack Torrance orders a bourbon at the hotel bar; he is handed a glass of Jack Daniel's, not a bourbon but a Tennessee whiskey.
The Macallan & James Bond
The relationship between The Macallan whisky and James Bond goes a long way. Even though the character has enjoyed various drinks during his 60-year journey, including Bollinger Champagne, Jim Beam, Talisker, Jack Daniel's, Martinis and Americanos, the one that has stuck in people's minds as the whisky of choice is The Macallan. Most recently, in the movie Skyfall, James Bond drank The Macallan Fine & Rare 1962, 'a 50-year-old whisky', paying homage to the year the character first appeared on the screen.
In 2022, Macallan released its six-bottle limited series celebrating the six decades of Bond. Bottled at 43.7% ABV, all six designs contain the same whisky but feature artwork depicting famous scenes from the movies released during the decade. The releases commemorate not only the six decades but also the six lead actors who have played the role.
Like with many other non-age statement releases, Macallan has not disclosed the age of the whisky nor the casks used for the release. Nonetheless, the whisky has been highly sought after, even when considering that buying the complete set might set the buyer back £15,000 to £18,000.
Original Images by The Macallan / Fandom
Johnnie Walker & Blade Runner
The 1982 movie Blade Runner featured a futuristic Johnnie Walker 12-year-old Black Label bottle. However, reportedly, it was not created in collaboration with the brand itself. When news about a sequel—Blade Runner 2049—being released in 2017 broke, the brand decided to recreate the bottling as a limited release. This time, with the brand's involvement in the design, the bottle was given more refined features, imagining how the bottle would have changed over three decades.
The Black Label Director's Cut (note, no age statement) was co-created by the movie's director, Denis Villeneuve, and Walker's master blender, Jim Beverage. It was bottled at 49% to stay in line with the movie release and limited to 39,000 bottles released worldwide.
Images by Johnnie Walker / Blade Runner
Also, in 2018, Johnnie Walker and Diageo teamed up with HBO to create limited bottlings celebrating the final season of Game of Thrones TV series. The partnership produced three Johnnie Walker variations - White Walker, A Song of Fire and A Song of Ice - as well as nine single malt expressions from Diageo's distilleries.
Image by The Whisky Ardvark
The Glendronach & Old Forester & Kingsman
Following the success of the first Kingsman movie in 2014, the 2017 sequel, The Golden Circle, inspired two companies to release their tributes to the franchise.
The movie features a bottle of bourbon labelled 'Statesman', which Old Forester saw as an opportunity to release its bottling by the same name. Since its launch in 2017, the expression has become part of the distillery's core range.
In the UK, The Glendronach distillery jumped on the Kingsman train and released its 1991 25-year-old sherry cask-aged single malt in 2017 as a limited release. This expression was limited to 2,137 bottles worldwide.
In 2019, the original release was followed by Glendronach 1989, a 29-year-old single malt aged in a combination of oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. This second and last expression was limited to 3,052 bottles globally.
As a side note, the whisky featured in the movie's opening sequence is Dalmore 62-year-old—limited to only 12 bottles, released individually between 2002 and 2011. The year the movie came out, one of the bottlings was sold for £114,000 in auction, although the whisky has been sold for a higher price before and after 2017.
Image by The Whisky Ardvark
Ron Burgundy Blended Scotch
To celebrate the premiere of Anchorman's second movie in 2013, Old St Andrews, a Kent-based blender of Scottish whiskies, designed a whisky bearing the name of the famous Will Ferrell's newsman. Called Ron Burgundy—Great Odin's Raven Special Reserve, the first 72,000-bottle batch of the whisky was sold within days of its release.
There has been mixed information about the blended whisky release: according to some, the blend has a malt content of 60%, while others claim it to be only 30%. Nonetheless, the release—bottled at 40%—was sold with a price tag of a mere $25 (£20) per bottle.
The bottling also includes Burgundy's catchphrase 'Scotchy Scotch Scotch' as a catchy sales slogan.
Image by The Whisky Ardvark
The Glendronach & Star Wars
This group of Glendronach whiskies, which were exclusively bottled for the Danish market, has been nicknamed the 'Star Wars series' due to the colours of the bottles. Although there was no collaboration between the whisky brand and the movie franchise, the connection was made by people who went out looking for it. It serves as a proof that individuals can find a common link between things if they search for them.
The following bottlings were done for Professional Danish Whisky Retailers.
Glendronach 9 Years Old / 48%
Bottled 2014, Pedro Ximenez Casks, Limited to 3,000 Bottles
'Black for Darth Vader'
Glendronach 10 Years Old / 48%
Bottled 2016, Pedro Ximenez Casks, Limited to 3,000 Bottles
'Blue for Luke Skywalker'
Glendronach 12 Years Old / 46%
Bottled 2015, Oloroso Sherry Casks, Limited to 3,000 Bottles
'Green for Yoda'
Glendronach 1992 25 Years Old / 48%
Bottled 2018, Oloroso Sherry Casks, Limited to 1,500 Bottles
'Purple for Mace Windu'
Image by The Whisky Ardvark
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