Islay single malt distillery Laphroaig has partnered with actor Willem Dafoe for its ‘Unphorgettable’ campaign. The partnership began with a short film titled ‘The Taste’, directed by Tim Pope.
As well as the short film, the partnership will involve global advertising, a bespoke cocktail, and a limited-edition whisky. All the activity falls under Laphroaig’s ‘Unphorgettable’ campaign, which launched in 2024, using descriptions written by members of its Friends of Laphroaig community to explore the flavours of the Islay whisky. The descriptions resulted in the creation of four ‘taste characters’ (an angel, donkey, pack of wolves, and waves) which represent Laphroaig’s character.
‘The Taste’ follows Dafoe’s attempt to find the words to describe Laphroaig’s whisky, drawing on personal experience. He also reads descriptions of the whisky submitted by the Friends of Laphroaig, connecting the campaign to its original vision.
Reflecting on the film’s inspiration, Dafoe commented: “The first time I ever travelled overseas, I went to Scotland. I was a kid, and the first thing I thought when my feet touched down on the ground was, something feels familiar here. I feel at home. The land spoke to me, and it must be genetic because my grandmother was from Glasgow. ‘The Taste’ depicts that sort of familiarity that’s found when exploring Laphroaig. It’s the flavours and how they come together.”
Chris Richardson, managing director of Suntory Global Spirits, Scotch and Irish, added: “Willem Dafoe is bold, curious, and impossible to define, much like Laphroaig itself. His uncompromising dedication to craft mirrors our own approach to whisky making. He is the ideal partner to bring to life the intense, unmistakable, and truly ‘unphorgettable’ flavour of Laphroaig, and to celebrate those around the world with character as distinctive as his.”
Dafoe has also collaborated with Sarah Dowling, Laphroaig senior whisky maker, to develop a limited-edition whisky collaboration. The bottling is planned for release in 2026.
Laphroaig isn’t the only Scotch brand to look to Hollywood for partnership — earlier this year, Glenmorangie announced a series of short films starring Harrison Ford, shot at its distillery in Tain, while Laphroaig’s fellow Islay distillery, Lagavulin, has had an multi-year partnership with Nick Offerman.
As well as the partnership with Dafoe, Laphroiag has linked up with award-winning mixologist Meaghan Dorman to create a bespoke cocktail. The Other Island is a “smoky, tropical, and gently spiced spritz”, available first at the Barley Mow pub in London’s Mayfair, before being renamed to the Barley Dafoe for the campaign, due to appear on menus in selected bars worldwide.
