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12 celebrity-owned liquor brands, ranked by the price of a bottle
What do George Clooney, David Beckham, Ryan Reynolds, and Angelina Jolie all have in common - apart from being incredibly famous?
They're all making money from your drinks cabinet.
The number of celebrity liquor brands has gone through the roof in recent years - and with George Clooney's tequila company selling for $1 billion last year, it's easy to see why.
Endorsements and side businesses are some of the easiest ways for celebrities to diversify their revenue streams and earn passive income - and you might be surprised to find how many celebrities choose to make their business ventures in the liquor industry.
Business Insider compiled a list of brands you might not have known were owned by celebrities and ranked them by the average the price of a bottle from cheapest to most expensive.
Scroll down to see which celebrity tipples made the list.
12. Drew Barrymore, Barrymore Wine — $22-$28 (£16.70-£21.25)
Price source: Barrymore Wines.
Drew Barrymore partnered with Carmel Road winemaker Kris Kato to create an offering of Barrymore Wines.
"I am passionate about wine. There is so much to discover and experience and my travels help me do that," Barrymore says on the brand's website.
11. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Miraval Rosé — £20 ($26.35).
Price source: Majestic Wines.
While they were together, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt produced the award-winning Château Miraval rosé wine.
The pair bought Château Miraval in Provence in 2008 for a reported €40 million. They even got married on the estate in August 2014.
While it was believed that Pitt was more involved in the winemaking process than Jolie, in October, the couple announced they would be selling Miraval following their split.
10. Channing Tatum, Born and Bred Vodka — $30 (£23)
Price source: Universal Package Store.
Channing Tatum partnered with Grand Teton Distillery to create Born and Bred Vodka in 2017.
"Now, I'm a stripper that became an actor that I guess is working in vodka. Nothing surprises me anymore," Channin Tatum told Bon Appetit.
9. Justin Timberlake, Sauza 901 Tequila — £27.95 ($36.82).
Price source: The Whiskey Exchange.
In 2014, Justin Timberlake partnered with Sauza Liquors to relaunch his own tequila.
"We're not interested in going out and doing a talking-head routine. We believe in finding a founder. Yes, he happens to be a celebrity and that has a lot of value," said Bill Newlands President, North America of Beam Inc., "but he has a lot of passion for this."
8. Ryan Reynolds, Aviation Gin — £34.75 ($45.77).
Price source: The Whiskey Exchange.
Ryan Reynolds recently announced that he is now the official owner and chairman of Aviation Gin, owned by Davos Brands — and it all came about after he tried the gin for the first time, declared it the "best-tasting gin in the world," and decided to invest.
Aviation, which was founded in Portland, Oregon, is one of the world's best-rated gins, according to data from Wine Enthusiast, a drinks magazine. The company told Business Insider that it sold around 25,000 cases in 2017.
It claims to have a "much smoother, easier drinking flavor than typical London Dry gins."
7. Drake, Virginia Black Whiskey — £34.89 ($45.95).
Price source: Drink Supermarket.
Along with ex-financier Brent Hocking and drinks firm Promixo Spirits, Drake launched Virginia Black whiskey in June 2016.
The idea for the brand was based on the "style, fashion, and music of the 70s," where "nightlife was truly nightlife," according to Hocking.
Hocking said that Drake is fully involved in the "creative process" and added that the partnership is "authentic."
6. P. Diddy, Ciroc Vodka — £35.45 ($46.69).
Price source: The Whiskey Exchange.
Seann "Diddy" Combs completely changed the fortunes of Ciroc vodka. When Diddy partnered with the brand in the late 2000s, "Ciroc was just a middling vodka brand being shilled by no-name former NFL players," Zack O'Malley Greenburg, author of 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise, told Business Insider.
"Diddy came on and he applied his typical marketing panache and his shock and awe salesmanship," Greenburg said. "Within only a few years, Ciroc was number two in the premium vodka category, to only Grey Goose doing about two million cases a year."
5. Bob Dylan, Heaven’s Door Spirits — $50-$80 (£38-£61).
Price source: Forbes.
Nobel Prize-winning Bob Dylan just launched a range of whiskies in collaboration with Marc Bushala — the liquor entrepreneur behind Angel's Envy bourbon, which was sold to Bacardi for $125 million.
The Heaven's Door range includes a rye, a seven-year-old bourbon, and a double-barrelled whiskey.
You might have a hard time finding them, though — orders on the site are currently suspended as they're sold out.
4. Marilyn Manson, Absinthe Mansinthe — £41 ($54).
Price source: Absinthes.com.
American singer and controversial media personality Marilyn Manson is also the owner of absinthe brand Mansinthe.
The label artwork is a self-portrait watercolour painting done by Manson titled "When I Get Old."
While the drink matches his scandalous personality, it had good reception — it was even the Gold Medal Winner at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirit Competition.
3. Kyle Maclachlan, Pursued By Bear Wine — $60 (£45).
Price source: Pursued by Bear.
Pursed by Bear is a range of wines from actor and grape-lover Kyle MacLachlan, in collaboration with Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington.
It launched with a Cabernet Sauvignon in 2005 and has limited production.
2. George Clooney, Casamigos Tequila — £51.45 ($68.13).
Price source: The Whiskey Exchange.
Casamigos Tequila was founded by Clooney along with two friends, bar and restaurant mogul Rande Gerber and Discovery Land Company CEO Mike Meldman.
Clooney and Gerber were spending time at their homes in Cabo, Mexico, when they came up with the idea for a tequila that didn't result in a hangover.
Casamigos was sold to Diageo in 2017 for $1 billion.
CNBC reported that Clooney, Gerber, and Meldman were expected to stay with the company after its acquisition.
1. Jay-Z, Armand de Brignac Champagne — £225 ($296).
Price source: The Whiskey Exchange.
Jay-Z's origin in the liquor industry stems from a feud with Cristal Champagne. When the director of the company that makes Cristal was asked about what he thought of all the rappers drinking their Champagne and including it in their lyrics, he said "What can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it."
"Jay-Z heard about his comments, he removed it from his 40/40 Club, and more importantly, he started issuing this sort of directive to his fans not to drink it either," Zack O'Malley Greenburg, author of 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise, told Business Insider.
"Instead of rapping about Cristal, he put his money where is mouth was, he ended up investing in — and eventually taking over — French Champagne brand called Armand de Brignac, AKA Ace of Spades," Greenburg said.