Top ‘Fictional’ Scotch whisky brands on TV and Films

From probably the most famous fictional scotch whisky brand, Glencallan, to others such as Glengoolie scotch whisky from the FX TV series ‘Archer’, these are just some of the many fake brands that have appeared on screen over the years. On Movies and TV shows they tend to be usually difficult to spot and generally only the region or the age is highlighted without mentioning a brand…here is a sample of the top fictional brands found – I started by using the Scotch Cinema blog as the original source of material (its founder, Curtis MacEachern, has been logging every dram appearance since 2011) and since then I have continued to add new fake brands or appearances….if you see any out there, please contact me!

‘The term for the use of a fake product in the film industry is “Greek”. For example, a company will Greek a box of cereal so that they don’t feature a real brand in the scene, thus avoiding royalty disputes or the impression that they are promoting a particular product.’ Curtis MacEachern

Swaford Single Malt Whisky (TV: Star Trek Picard; MacGyver)

Glenbarney Malt Scotch Whisky Single Barrel (TV: Mythic Quest ‘Peter’ episode)

Old Elk whiskey (Film: His Dark Materials)

Glen Edmonds scotch whisky (Film: Boss Level)

Glencallan scotch whisky (TV series: Chicago P.D.; Sons of Anarchy; Burn Notice; Nip/ Tuck; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Community; Heart of Dixie; Grey’s Anatomy; Breakout Kings; The Mindy Project; Space Force)

“We’re trained to see brands, so when you don’t it’s almost jarring, but the network won’t use a brand if it interferes with an advertising deal they have or if it’s not used for its intended use. So instead of covering it with tape or running into a legal nightmare, we create these brands that are fictional.” Michael Bertolina, ISS’s former vice president of Entertainment Marketing and Acquisition

Balmoor scotch whisky (TV series: Chicago Med; The Grinder; Lipstick Jungle; The Defenders, Boston Legal, The Originals; Cloak & Dagger)

Glen McKenna scotch whisky (TV: How I Met Your Mother/ HIMYM)

This fictional scotch whisky has appeared a number of times on HIMYM – click here for more info if interested.

Clyburn scotch whisky (Film: The Dark Knight; Rock of Ages; The Place beyond the Pines/ TV: HIMYM)

Ron Burgundy’s Gret Odin’s Raven blended scotch whisky (Film: Anchorman)

“I love Scotch. Scotchy Scotch Scotch. Here it goes down. Down into my belly.” – Ron Burgundy

Note that this originally ‘fictional’ whisky in the first Anchorman film, was actually released in time for the sequel Anchorman 2, and is now available to purchase.  It’s apparently a classy blend, featuring grain and malt whiskies from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay – click here.

Premium Darkly Machiever scotch whisky (Film: I, Robot)

The Makallan 12yo scotch whisky (TV: South Park)

** NEW addition** The Makalaxx 12yo scotch whisky (TV: South Park)

McCleary scotch whisky (Film: Pulp Fiction, Barfly)

Glen Dochart scotch whisky (TV: Blacklist)

GlenKnolls scotch whisky (TV: Scandal; Modern Family; The People vs. OJ Simpson)

“This particular sighting marks the fourth appearance of mystery malt known as GlenKnolls. It has appeared in an episode of “The People V. O.J. Simpson” as well as two episodes of “Modern Family“. In each scene the label on the actual bottle itself is barely visible but after enlarging a few screenshots it no longer completely indecipherable.”Curtis MacEachern, Scotch Cinema blog

MacCutcheon scotch whisky (TV: Lost, Once Upon a Time)

This fictional scotch whisky brand appears numerous times during Lost – click here for more information.

Stafford Twin Wood scotch whisky (TV: Ray Donovan; Californication; MONK; How I Met Your Mother; Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

J. Darby scotch whisky (TV: Lost; Life; NCIS; Film: Ava)

Hennigan’s scotch whisky (TV: Seinfeld)

To Jerry and Kramer, Hennigan’s has the advantage, unlike other brands of Scotch, of not leaving the imbiber smelling of alcohol.

“That’s right, folks. I just had three shots of Hennigan’s, and I don’t smell. Imagine, you can walk around drunk all day. That’s Hennigan’s, the no-smell, no-tell Scotch.”

“Say you got a big job interview and you’re a little nervous. Well, throw back a couple of shots of Hennigan’s, and you’ll be as loose as a goose and ready to roll in no time. And because it’s odorless, why, it’ll be our little secret.” (singing) “H, E, double-N, I…” Kramer

 

Mantia scotch whisky (TV: Westworld)

MacAskill Single Malt scotch whisky (Film: Local Hero)

MacFarland’s Single Malt scotch whisky (Film: Doctor Sleep)

Glenholme Single Malt Scotch whisky (TV: Vegas; Blindspot)

Halpenny Premium Malt Whiskey (TV: The Expanse)

The bottle used as the prop bottle for Halpenny Whiskey is actually the bottle for Khortytsa Vodka.

Glen Eyre Scotch Whisky (TV: The Expanse)

The bottle used as the prop bottle for Glen Eyre Scotch is actually the bottle for St. Germain elderflower liqueur.

McGlenton’s Scotch Whisky (TV: The Expanse)

The bottle used as the prop bottle for McGlenton’s Scotch whisky is actually the bottle for Zirkova Together Vodka.

SG Ceres Whiskey (TV: The Expanse)

The bottle used as the prop bottle for SG Ceres Whiskey is The Square stainless steel bottle by Clean Bottle.

Galglennie Irish whiskey (TV: Peaky Blinders)

This is another fictional whiskey brand and although not a Scotch whisky, I thought it would be worth adding it to the list.

O’Gorman’s Irish whiskey (TV: Ted Lasso)

House of Lords (Film: Bride of Frankenstein)

The Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American sci-fi horror film and this House of Lords scotch whisky can be seen on the footage. W Whiteley & Company Ltd used to produce a House of Lords blended scotch whisky and also owned Edradour Distillery in Scotland from 1933 (they also had another blended Scotch whisky brand called King’s Ransom). The House of Lords scotch whisky stopped being produced in 1966 even though it had only been available in export markets, due to protests at its naming by the upper house of the British parliament. Therefore, I have included this footage as it could be a fictional or a ‘real life’ brand created under a name which its producer did not have the authority to use. One to be investigated further…

 

For reference – Inside the Cask blog post ‘Whisky in Comics‘

For reference – Inside the Cask blog post ‘Do you recognise these ‘Fictional’ Drinks brands from Hollywood films and TV?’