8 Worst Celebrity-Owned Liquor Brands

It's easy to be a little snobby about celebrity-owned liquor brands. These famous people usually compete with little knowledge compared to distilleries with decades, or even centuries, of experience. The reality is that some of them are quite impressive, especially with some notable bourbon brands. Others, however, lack any type of quality. They seemingly exist on the back of their celebrity-backing and significant marketing. I'm here to root out these brands and explain why it's best to avoid them.

I chose these brands mostly based on my personal experience, but also drew from the accounts of other Tasting Table writers, while looking at review scores from respected websites. I only included a few rules, mainly that the brand still had to be active with at least part celebrity ownership, rather than simply just endorsement. My own experience with spirits, and especially whiskey, is vast. It's allowed me to gain expertise in what counts as a great spirit, and which leaves a lot to be desired. Celebrity spirits can be tempting, especially if you're a fan of the star involved. But by the end, you'll see which brands don't deserve your hard-earned money.

As with most of these brands, 818 Tequila has slick marketing that can make you tempted to give it a try. When you switch your focus to what's actually in the glass, it doesn't hold up very well at all. The tequilas on offer are all made from blue agave and bottled at 80 proof. That seems like a positive, but the flavor profile doesn't shine as much as it should. The nose is quite nice as you get a lovely agave sweetness along with some light citrus and a hint of black pepper. The aromas aren't very deep, but it's still pleasant.

That lack of depth painfully shows up on the palate. The agave is mild, and while you do get some vanilla and herbal grass, they are too thin to make any real impact. It's not the worst tequila, but you expect much more. When you combine this with a short finish with a little bitterness, the result is disappointment. It doesn't have a premium price, being priced between $30 to $50, so at least it's not a huge investment. Still, you'd expect a little more complexity. Its weak flavor gets lost in cocktails and easily disappears. It's not awful, but there are many better options out there.

Drake is another person who shows how star power can't mask a terrible spirit. There are a few things in the whiskey world that aren't outright red flags but do make me suspicious. A fancy bottle is one of them. Pappy Van Winkle may well be the most sought-after bourbon in the world, but its bottles are very modest. That's because they know the only thing that will give you a lasting legacy is what's in the bottle. Some brands (definitely not all) seem like they try to lure you in with the bottle design and marketing instead. With this Canadian-style whiskey first released in 2016, the craftsmanship just isn't there.

There is sweetness on the nose, but it's quite one-dimensional. Caramel and vanilla are present but quite shallow, and there is a little cinnamon spice. The palate brings these notes as well, but they taste artificial and not well-rounded. The texture of the whiskey is quite smooth, but without any type of backbone. There is perhaps a touch of oak and baking spices, but nothing that grabs your attention. It tastes like it was made by someone who has very little knowledge of what makes a great whiskey. Given how its marketing has been quiet for some time, it wouldn't be surprising if the brand got consigned to history sooner or later. If it does, it won't be missed.

Crystal Head Vodka is another spirit that comes in fancy packaging. To be fair, it is a fantastic bottle, so if you want to buy it for that reason alone. But after you've finished, you may want to fill it back up with higher-quality vodka. With an average price of just over $50, it's not exorbitantly expensive, but at this price, you expect a much cleaner vodka. Its aroma is what you'd generally expect from the spirit; it's mainly neutral with thin hints of both grain and citrus.

The vodka has a palate that is quite smooth but without much in the way of character. The lack of nuance places it on par with any decent vodka you can buy for half the price. As with many of these brands, the spirit isn't outright terrible, but the product doesn't match the price or hype. Vodka is a curious spirit in that you want it to be mostly neutral but still have its own subtle character. The lack of that character here makes it perfectly functional, but it wouldn't hold up in a taste test.

By now, you will have noticed how this could easily be a list of the nicest-looking spirit bottles. The correlation between a good bottle and a bad spirit remains strong. The aroma of Wolf Moon Bourbon is fairly straightforward with some decent caramel and brown sugar notes. You also get some mild vanilla, but there's nothing that will surprise you. The palate delivers much of the same, with sweetness that is predominant but not deep.

Away from the sweet notes, you get hints of oak and some baking spices. It adds up to a bourbon that has a complete lack of character. It feels generic and soulless. The reason there are only a few truly awful celebrity spirits in this list is that they can quickly die after the initial hype fades. Wolf Moon Bourbon hasn't marketed this whiskey much in the last few years. It seems the brand has lost hope of ever becoming successful. It's proof that what's actually in the bottle will always supersede any fancy bottle design or celebrity backing.

Okay, I'll stop repeating myself about bottles now. Celebrities don't get much bigger than Beyoncé, and the story here is quite a nice one. Her great-grandfather was a successful moonshiner during prohibition, and the whiskey is named after him. This is one of the better spirits in this list, but with an average price tag of nearly $90, the level of taste you get for the cost simply isn't there. There is personality here, as it's a rye whiskey that doesn't have the tasting notes you may expect.

Rye whiskey is often quite spice-heavy and usually isn't very fruity. Here you get the opposite. It's quite mellow on the palate with caramel and honey sweetness. There are baking spices, but they are in the background. There is a lack of development, and it almost feels as though the whiskey has been dumbed down for a broader appeal. That's not what whiskey enthusiasts want or expect from a premium price tag. I appreciate this whiskey a lot more than others here, and there is clearly a decent level of craftsmanship. Yet at this price point, there are a vast number of bourbons that will give you a much richer and more complex tasting experience.

You can't accuse Teremana of having a sky-high price tag. Its Blanco usually sells for around $30, with its Anejo and Reposado not much more than that. On the nose, it is pleasant enough. You'll get a whiff of cooked agave along with softer citrus and oak notes. While the aromas are pleasant, they are only faint. It's this lack of depth that continues to be an issue when you get onto the taste. With the reposado, the palate immediately hits you with some mild vanilla and caramel, but it doesn't develop into anything else. There are some vague spices you may notice, but the brand generally lacks anything substantial.

The mouthfeel is smooth and quite easy, but it makes it feel like a diluted tequila rather than a triumph of craftsmanship. Instead of a cash grab, this genuinely feels like a brand that cares about its product, especially with its commitment to sustainability. However, Teremana has played it a little too safe here. With its affordable price point and decent taste, I wouldn't be surprised if this brand continues to prosper. I just wish it had at least one bottle with more personality.

As it turns out, Beyoncé's husband is also guilty of releasing questionable liquor. Jay-Z is also not the only rapper to produce their own low-quality alcohol brand, as Snoop Dogg has an equally questionable red wine. D'Ussé currently sells both a VSOP and XO cognac. Despite being its co-founder, Jay-Z now owns a minority stake in the company. That was due to several legal disputes over the brand, which ultimately led to Bacardi taking majority ownership.

With the VSOP, you get a big hit of aromas out of the bottle, with caramel being the most prominent. Along with this, you get some cinnamon, sugar, and stone fruit. It's a nice range of notes, with the sweetness transferring strongly to the palate. After you get over that sweetness, you get a few unique notes in the form of brown sugar, apple, and toasted oak. As it stays in your mouth, there is a sugary warmth that is a little sickly, and the flavors it has soon ebb away without much depth. Cognacs at their best show a lot of nuance and character that comes from their terroir. You don't really get that here, as it feels more artificial and polished. It ends up feeling like a cultural accessory rather than something that would end up in a cognac enthusiast's home bar on merit.

Some objects are expensive for the sake of being expensive. Examples here can be designer handbags, luxury watches, and food at Michelin-star restaurants. It's fair to say Tesla Mezcal is firmly in that category. It would be hard to find a bottle under $1,000, and for that price, you'd expect to find something truly exceptional with an insane level of aging and craftsmanship. The beauty of spirits is that there is no shortcut. Even with all the money in the world, you can't just create a beautiful product as you can with a handbag or watch. Instead, Tesla CEO Elon Musk just used Nosotros to make their product, a brand that sells its own mezcal for $70. 

The lightning-shaped bottle grabs attention, but it has the feel that this is meant to be owned rather than enjoyed. On the nose, it has a light floral aroma with a little citrus and herbs. The palate is mild in flavor with only hints of fruit and spice, with a smokiness throughout. There is minimal boldness or mineral depth here when compared to premium bottles from established brands. It's not bad, but quite obviously, it doesn't present value for money. The rich may see this as a nice collector's item, but ultimately, it certainly isn't a great mezcal.

At Tasting Table, we have immense pride in the authenticity of our articles. These picks here are far from random. They come from my personal tasting experience with these liquors, with a bit of experience from other Tasting Table writers. I also checked review scores to see if there was a consensus about the lack of quality. Where there were gaps in knowledge, such as with Tesla Mezcal, reliable review sources were used to get a rounded and fair opinion.

I also didn't want to include any liquors that were no longer available. Even though some of these brands have gone quiet, all of these bottles are still available for purchase. I also wanted to ensure the celebrities still owned these brands. While personal preference will always play an important role in judging spirits, the result is an article backed by genuine and authentic opinion.