Rock Band Spirits

Many rock bands have become involved with distilleries over the years to release their own branded spirits, and this trend seems to continue to grow. Moving beyond the usual merchandising on offer, rock band spirits allow their fans to sample or gift products created at least in part with members of the band.

There has been a plethora of rock bands involved in this area, from Motörhead to KISS, and licensing companies such as Global Merchandising Services can bridge the gap between the artists and distilleries to help them create new products to share with their adoring fan base.

Iron Maiden’s Trooper Beer has been a huge success in sales since the rock giants teamed up with Robinsons Brewery back in 2013, featuring cover art from the Iron Maiden single of the same title, although for this post I will be focusing only on spirits produced with rock bands/ artists.

Metallica

The American heavy metal band launched Blackened whiskey in 2018 and effectively started the recent wave of Rock Band spirits releases. This product was the result of a unique collaboration between Metallica and the late Dave Pickerell. Blackened whiskey is a combination of straight whiskies of varying ages, sourced from around North America and vatted together before being finished for up to ten weeks in Black Brandy casks with subwoofers attached and the vibrations from the Metallica music played to influence the maturation style of the whiskey, also described as a “proprietary Black Noise sonic-enhancement”.

In 2022, Blackened Rye the Lightning was released, the latest addition to the Metallica whiskey range and the maturation process includes playing Ride the Lightning for barrels of the Kentucky Straight Rye.

Motörhead

The iconic UK band have certainly made their mark in the world of rock band spirits with releases ranging from vodka and Caribbean premium dark rum to The Ace of Spades Bourbon and even a Motörhead Single Malt Swedish Malt whisky developed in partnership with Swedish whisky distillery Mackmyra and Master Blender Angela D’Orazio.

Scorpions

The German hard rock band have also worked with Swedish whisky distillery Mackmyra and their master blender to develop their own Scorpions Rock’n’Roll Star Single Malt Whisky. As Mackmyra’s Master Blender Angela D’Orazio said at the time of launch ”Lovely guys to work with! Klaus, Rudolf, Matthias, Mickey and Pawel were very nice and interested in the process.”.

KISS

Swedish company Brands for Fans has collaborated with the American rock band KISS to create the ‘Drink it Up by KISS’ range of branded spirit products, from gin to rum including its 2022 release of KISS Cold Gin named after their 1974 track “Cold Gin.”

Gene Simmons from KISS was also involved with Moneybag Vodka.

Slipknot

Metal band Slipknot has collaborated with Cedar Ridge Distillery to release a number of American whiskies udner their No.9 Collection, including No.9 Iowa Whiskey, Iowa Reserve and Red Cask.

Thin Lizzy

The Irish hard rock band followed up on their initial Irish Whiskey release created with West Cork Distillery, to launch Thin Lizzy Spiced Irish rum. In order for the visual expression of the product to appeal to the dedicated fans of the band, Jim Fitzpatrick was once again hired to design the bottle’s label. A well-known name in Thin Lizzy circles, as he painted the covers of several of the band’s most classic albums.

AC/DC

Thunderstruck tequila was launched by the Australian rock band back in 2016 and christened after their eponymous legendary track from the 1990s. Created in collaboration with Fabrica de Tequilas Finos.

Anthrax

The American thrash metal band celebrated 40 years in 2021 by launching Anthrax XL in collaboration with Hillrock Estate Distillery, “a smooth Solera-aged, single-barrel bourbon finished for 40 days in a 20-year old Oloroso Sherry cask, providing the spirits with balanced flavors and layers of complexity.”

Cannibal Corpse

The American death metal band launched Three Floyds Golden Blood Whiskey by Cannibal Corpse in 2022, a single barrel straight malt whiskey aged for 4 years in new oak, developed with Three Floyds Distillery.

Judas Priest

Birmingham’s Judas Priest had numerous albums and hits such as “Breaking The Law”, “Living After Midnight” or “Painkiller” over 50 years. Reason enough for St. Kilian Distillers to dedicate another Heavy Metal Edition bottlings to the legendary band.

ZZ Top

Balcones Distillery teamed up with fellow Texan rock band ZZ Top to release ZZ Top Tres Hombres Texas Whisky, named after the band’s first top 10 album back in 1973. The initial limited release in 2021 sold out immediately and the whiskey was launched again in 2022 as part of their Raw Whiskey Tour.

Billy F. Gibbons from ZZ Top was also involved with Pura Vida Tequila.

Queen

Killer Queen vodka was launched back in 2014 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the multiplatinum single – and undeniable masterpiece of the same name, which featured on 1974 album Shear Heart Attack, and was established by the band to honour Freddie Mercury’s invaluable contribution to music.

The Rolling Stones

The 50th anniversary of the legendary rock band was celebrated back in 2012 with the release of 150 bottles by Suntory Ltd. This whisky is a blend of carefully selected malts distilled and casked in milestone years throughout the band’s 50 year history, including a malt from the year the band formed that has been long-aged in mizunara (Japanese oak) casks. Needless to say, this will be out of the price range for most people and available via auction sites these days.

The band has released in 2023 Crossfire Hurricane rum, in partnership with Universal Music Group and Socio Ventures. The rum’s name is inspired by the opening lyric of the band’s song, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.

As We Rise

A progressive metal band located in Fort Collins, Colorado, released a barrel-aged wheat whiskey in July 2023 at a large event held in the parking lot of Music City Hot Chicken, a locally-owned Nashville style hot chicken tavern, championed for enriching the Colorado music scene.

Machine Head

American heavy metal band Machine Head have released their Shotgun Blast whiskey in 2025 – a blend of 11yo and 4yo bourbon. 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley; Batch #1 Limited Edition Collector’s Box comes with two shotgun bottles and two shotgun shell shot glasses (pictured above).

Other Rock Band Spirits include:

• Alice in Chains All Secrets Known bourbon with FEW Spirits
• Amon Amarth Ironside Swedish Single malt whiskey
• Beartooth Straight Rye whiskey with Middle West Spirits
• Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door Whiskey
• Burn Out Wreck Rum (by Gary Moat, the ex-drummer of 80’s rock band Heavy Pettin’)
• Darius Rucker (from Hootie and the Blowfish) Backstage Southern whiskey with Palmetto Distillery
• Def Leppard Gin
• Deftones White Pony Tequila with Abre Ojos Tequila
• Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and his Rock the Barrel bourbon whiskey with Iron Smoke Distillery
• Elvis Presley Whiskey by Grain & Barrel
• Flaming Lips Brainville Rye Whiskey with FEW Spirits
• Ghost Gin
• Grave Digger with St. Killian Distillers
• Gwar Ragnarök Rye whiskey with Catoctin Creek distillery
• HammerFall Premium Vodka
• Helloween Seven Keys Gin
• In Flames No13 Gin
• Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze Liqueur with Tiger Paw Beverages
• Judas Priest Spiced Rum
• Lynyrd Skynyrd Hell House American Whiskey
• Marshall London Dry Gin (inspired by the iconic guitar amplifier)
• Marilyn Manson Mansinthe (absinthe)
• Northlane Obsidian Whiskey with Groglords
• Ozzy Osbourne The Ultimate Gin
• Rammstein Gin, Vodka and Rum
• Rod Stewart’s Wolfie’s Blended Scotch whisky with Loch Lomond Group
• Skid Row Spirits
• The Pogues Irish whiskey with West Cork Distillery
• Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar with Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum and Santo Mezquila
• Volbeat Rum

There are also spirit brands collaborating with music such as Ballantine’s True Music Icons campaign, launched in 2023 and including AC/DC and Queen as the initial releases for the blended scotch whisky brand.

For reference, Metal Injection keeps track of Bands and Booze news – click here for their page online.