20 Very Famous Whisky Drinkers

These are 20 of the most famous whisky drinkers. But if your favourite whisky drinking celebrity isn’t here, let us know in the comments below.

You probably know lots of people who love whisky. We certainly do. Fine folks all of them. Some of them are quite well known in our circles, familiar faces on the ‘gram or published authors even.

But they’re not celebrities. Proper A-listers. And that makes them RUBBISH in the eyes of the baying public. The pitchfork populace, who demand only superstars and bloody royalty if you don’t mind too. We live to please, so if you want to hear about legitimately big names loving a drop of whisky, you’re in the right place.

Whisky is the drink of choice for poets, politicians, and secret agents alike. Royals, rogues, rebels. Screen legends, literary titans, bourbon-sipping poets, and Texan charmers in cowboy hats. Some of history’s most fascinating figures have had a dram (or ten) as their constant companion.

These whisky drinkers are legitimately famous. And they all have one thing in common: they are bonafide stars, and they all came to the same realisation as many of you, dear reader, that whisky is bloody delicious.

Frank Sinatra

Ol’ Blue Eyes is not only one of the most iconic singers of all time but also a legendary whiskey drinker. Frank Sinatra was a lover of Champagne, wine, and gin, but it’s whiskey he was truly enthusiastic about, with a long and famous association with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. He even counted Jack Daniel’s salesman Angelo Lucchesi as a personal friend, who once quipped: “I didn’t get him on it. I kept him on it.” Another story goes that the Chairman of the Board confessed to a doctor that he was drinking about a bottle of Jack a day, to which his physician replied “My God, Frank! How do you feel in the morning?” Sinatra’s response was “Hell if I know, doc. I don’t get up ‘til the afternoon.” Ever the perfectionist, Sinatra insisted his Jack was served as so: a two-finger measure with three or four ice cubes, plus water, in a traditional rock glass. Jack Daniel’s actually created a special edition whisky, Sinatra Select, in his honour.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II was known to enjoy a good whisky. It’s well-documented that she favoured a Dubonnet and gin cocktail, in fact, in 2017 it was reported her late majesty consumed up to four cocktails a day, while Buckingham Palace also released its own gin featuring handpicked botanicals from the royal garden in Buckingham Palace. But Queen Elizabeth II was also said to enjoy a dram of Scotch whisky, a preference often linked to her Scottish heritage and frequent visits to Balmoral Castle, where whisky is a staple. In 1980, she received her very own cask of Bowmore, which was bottled in 2002, and every year she donated three to charity – out of 648 total. Then, in 1984, the Queen awarded a Royal Warrant to The Famous Grouse. Then there’s Royal Lochnagar, a distillery that established a connection to the Crown in 1848 when Queen Victoria purchased Balmoral Estate, and it was awarded its own Royal Warrant. It’s served at the estate to this day, and it’s said Lochnagar whisky was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Mark Twain

‘The Father of American Literature’ is one of history’s most notable whisky lovers. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain is quoted numerous times professing his love for the spirit and often found an excuse to incorporate whisky into his writing and lectures. He also said arguably the most famous quote on whisky: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough.” Twain’s love is said to have begun in his younger days when he worked as a gold miner, and then journalist, but his love affair with Scotch really kicked off on a voyage to England in 1873 when the ship’s surgeon introduced him to a new drink, a ‘cock-tail’, an early version of the Old Fashioned which contained Scotch whisky and lemon juice. In later life, Twain took his whisky straight, or as a toddy, or ‘Hot Scotch’ as it’s known in the US. 

Haruki Murakami

“I wore my suit and the polka-dot tie. As soon as I spotted Malta Kano, I tried to walk in her direction, but the crowd kept getting in my way. By the time I reached the bar, she was gone. The tropical drink stood there on the bar, in front of her now empty stool. I took the next seat at the bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks. The bartender asked me what kind of Scotch I’d like, and I answered Cutty Sark. I really didn’t care which brand of scotch he served me, but Cutty Sark was the first thing that came to mind.”

The passage is from The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, a novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Known for his best-seller Norwegian Wood (not the Beatles song), his work has sold millions of copies and has been translated into 50 languages, with whisky often featuring in his writing, reflecting his characters’ contemplative and often introspective nature. Murakami has also mentioned his appreciation for whisky in interviews and says he enjoys both Scotch and Japanese whisky. 

Lady Gaga

You taste like whiskey when you kiss me, oh

I’d give anything again to be your baby doll

Another person who has mentioned whisky in their work is none other than pop star and actress Lady Gaga. She has declared her love for whisky in various interviews, mentioning Jameson Irish Whiskey by name. Gaga even went so far as to call Jameson “My long-time boyfriend”, when dedicating a song to the brand at a concert in Dublin, saying he’s “always there for me when I need him.” The Oscar winner was also quoted as saying the following: “I like to drink whiskey and stuff while I am working. But the deal is I’ve got to work out every day.” I have a similar system. A love of Jameson is something Gaga shares with another pop sensation, Rihanna, who sings in Cheers (Drink to That): “Cheers to the freakin’ weekend/ I drink to that, yeah, yeah/ Oh, let the Jameson sink in/ I drink to that, yeah, yeah”. That’s two mucho famous people for the price of one and a lovely bit of advertising for the giant Irish whiskey brand.

Queen Victoria – most amused if it’s all the same to you

One does not simply become a whisky powerhouse without a little help from royalty. Queen Victoria wasn’t just partial to the odd dram – she played a role in popularising the stuff. After falling in love with the Scottish Highlands, she made whisky a staple at Balmoral, even endorsing the first Royal Warrant for Scotch. Her preference? A tipple of Scotch mixed with claret. The original experimental bartender. Sans the tattoo sleeves and beard. We rate it. Why settle for one drink when you can have two at once?

James Bond – more than a Martini man

While 007 is mostly known for his ‘shaken, not stirred’ Martinis, he’s also got a serious thing for whisky. Well, anything with alcohol he seems to knock back at some point. But while Ian Fleming’s literary character had a penchant for bourbon, James Bond has sipped the likes of The Macallan and Lagavulin on screen. Maybe whisky is the real secret weapon. In fact, in Skyfall, he casually enjoys a 50-year-old Macallan while facing down a villain. Although if you ask me, he’s not all bad in that film. Murder and tyranny aside, of course. But he does at least open the bottle. How many people who own a bottle of 50-year-old Macallan single malt can say that? It’s all locked away in a cabinet, isn’t it? That’s the real crime. 

Christina Hendricks – stealing scenes and smashing stereotypes

“Well, Marilyn’s really a Joan, not the other way around”.

Christina Hendricks doesn’t just nail roles in everything from Good Girls to Mad Men, she’s busy championing whisky as the drink of choice for everyone – not just gruff old men in leather armchairs. As a former brand ambassador for Johnnie Walker, she’s made it her mission to challenge outdated perceptions. Her own whisky habit? She’s partial to Scotch neat, proving that she’s every bit as effortlessly cool as Joan Holloway. Who could no doubt hold her own in the whisky-soaked meetings in Mad Men.

Winston Churchill – whisky lover first, politician second

Churchill’s relationship with whisky was less of a casual affair and more of a lifelong marriage. He started the day with a whisky and soda (a ‘mouthwash’, as he called it) and kept the drinks flowing until the wee hours. His preference was Johnnie Walker Red Label, usually diluted with water – because hydration is key. His whisky habit was so legendary that when he visited the White House, Franklin D. Roosevelt had to lift Prohibition just to keep him happy. Now that’s influence.

Robert Burns – the patron saint of Scotch whisky

Ol’ Bobby Burns has appeared on this blog a lot over the years thanks to the annual celebration of Burns Night, so you’re probably very familiar with how much Scotland’s beloved bard loved a good drop. He didn’t just write about whisky – he practically worshipped it. Burns waxed poetic about the “guid Scotch drink” in Tam o’ Shanter and even penned Scotch Drink, an ode dedicated entirely to his favourite tipple. If he’d been around today, he’d probably have a distillery. He’d know how to exploit some good tax loopholes as a former excise man… Oh, you know what, he 100% would have a whisky podcast, wouldn’t he?

Bob Dylan

Music legend. Nobel laureate. Nasal mumble-core prophet. Bob Dylan is many things, including, as it turns out, a whisky lover-turned-whisky-maker. We’re sure you’ve heard of Heaven’s Door American whiskey, a brand born from his love of the good stuff. Dylan had an interest in creating a whiskey brand for a while, and he’s never one for just sticking his name on a project. That’s even his artwork on the bottle’s labels. 

Matthew McConaughey

Hollywood’s darling drawler doesn’t just espouse campfire philosophy, he loves himself some bourbon too. In fact, Matthew McConaughey was at one time a creative director at Wild Turkey, launching his own expression: Longbranch. The reviews were strong enough that people were willing to get over their cynicism of celebrity drinks to appreciate it. McConaughey didn’t even have to do one existential Lincoln commercial to flog a bottle.

Katharine Hepburn

She acted with steel, wit, and that unmistakable voice. But did you know Katharine Hepburn appreciated a neat Scotch? Booming actor Brian Blessed said the four-time Oscar winner told him the following during the filming of The Trojan Women (1971) in Spain: “When I smell whisky, I go absolutely out of my mind. Whisky is beauuuuuutiful. I smell whisky in a glass and I want it… I’d drink whisky morning, noon and night until it killed me”. Friend and writer Scott Berg says King William IV was her blend, with Famous Grouse becoming her tipple of choice later*. 

Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson’s drink of choice was Chivas Regal, taken liberally. Which is putting it mildly. The pioneer of Gonzo journalism often consumed whisky as part of a larger breakfast of cigarettes, mescaline, and sheer bloody mayhem. Thompson’s whisky habit was so infamous that it became part of his mythos along with firearms, typewriters, and politically incorrect ranting. The man once said, “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” 

Dorothy Parker

Legendary writer, poet, and satirist Dorothy Parker supposedly once said, “I love to drink Martinis. Two at the very most. After three I’m under the table, after four I’m under my host.” Regardless of whether that quote can actually be attributed to her (it’s the cause of some debate), her dry wit and poetry were undeniable, as was her love of whisky. Parker made no apologies for enjoying the strong stuff neat, thank you very much, and Scotch was her drink. Favourites included Haig & Haig, Campbell, and Johnnie Walker. If social media had existed back then, she’d be the queen of the caustic whisky tweet.

Princess Margaret

If Queen Elizabeth II was duty and decorum, her younger sister was… well, less so. I haven’t seen The Crown, but I gather I don’t need to explain that to anyone who has. Regardless, I’m not here to judge. In fact, the opposite. It seems Princess Margaret was what I would call “a good pint”. She famously started her mornings with a splash of Scotch and a cigarette (turns out royal hangovers aren’t any different from regular ones… no? Just me?). Her drink of choice was a whisky and soda served before noon, thank you very much. The tabloids called her outrageous. I call her relatable.

David Niven

If David Niven had been any more British, he’d have been born in a teacup guarded by a bulldog. The moustachioed movie star was cool in that effortless way that infuriates all of us try-hards, which extends to his love of whisky. He travelled with a suitcase stocked with essentials: tuxedos, witty anecdotes, and a bottle of the good stuff. Proper stuff. Over the years he had ties to Ballantine’s, Passport… He even once claimed the key to life was “a sense of humour and a good single malt.” Wise words.

Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner was less a movie star and more a force of nature in a fine cocktail dress. On-screen, she stole hearts. Off-screen, she drank whisky, swore like a sailor, and lived entirely on her own terms. Or should I say, off-screen, she stole hearts. Gardner once declared, “I like to drink, and I like to dance. And if I want to do those things at the same time, who the hell’s going to stop me?” She even had a bourbon named after her a few years ago, produced by Seven Jars Distillery in partnership with the Ava Gardner Trust. “I wish to live to 150 years old, but when I die, I wish it to be with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other,” was another one of her gems.

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman isn’t just Ron Swanson – though, let’s be honest, Ron Swanson is Nick Offerman with the volume turned slightly down. The actor doesn’t just play a whisky lover. He is one. Swanson character traits, such as woodworking (the shop filmed in Parks and Recreation actually belongs to the actor), playing the saxophone, and drinking Lagavulin whisky, were all inspired by the actor himself. Since the show ended, Offerman’s partnership with Lagavulin has produced actual whiskies bearing his name, and they’re pretty damn good. He treats the stuff with reverence and a twinkle in the eye. 

Keith Richards

Ah, Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones legend is almost as famous for his liver as he is his licks, and for decades, his constant tour companion was a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He was also known to enjoy a swig of Rebel Yell, and drinking with Billy Idol inspired the latter to write the song of the same name. Over the years, Richards has contributed more to the whisky’s music cred mojo than arguably anyone (Sinatra aside, perhaps?). To this day, the man remains a symbol of rock ‘n’ roll resilience. If you had a whisky that was aged as well as Keef in your hands, it’d be worth thousands.

 

*Iain Russell has the full stories on Katherine Hepburn and Dorothy Parker.