What does it say about the current position of Scotch whisky that Hollywood A-listers are being drafted in to promote single malts?
Willem Dafoe, the Wisconsin-born actor famous for his roles in Platoon (1986), Mississippi Burning (1988), American Psycho (1999), Spider-Man (2002), The Aviator (2004), Antichrist (2008), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Florida Project (2017), The Lighthouse (2019), The French Despatch (2021), and Poor Things (2023) among others, is starring in a new commercial for Laphroaig Islay single malt Scotch whisky.
This follows a series of twelve tongue-in-cheek ads, Once Upon A Time in Scotland, that Harrison Ford made for Moet Hennessy-owned Glenmorangie single malt earlier this year.
In ‘The Taste’, a whimsical three-minute film for Laphroaig, which has been been viewed 101,000 times on YouTube since it was posted there on 22 September 2025, Dafoe attempts to pinpoint the heavily-peated Islay single malt’s taste. He comes up with metaphors including “like licking a walrus chomping on a seaweed cigar,” “kissing a mermaid on a rocky rowboat,” and “sucking on a burnt match”. The film mixes Dafoe’s own anecdotes including about hiding in a wardrobe as a boy, with his reactions to fans suggested ways of describing Laphroaig’s taste
The amusing and well-crafted ad, directed by Tim Pope, who has also directed videos for David Bowie and The Cure, forms the centrepiece of Laphroaig’s “Unphorgettable” global marketing push, and is the first time the Scotch whisky brand has opted for a celebrity collaboration. A big poster showing Dafoe and the “Unphorgettable” catchline is on show in retail outlets including in the front window of Royal Mile Whiskies in Edinburgh’s old town.
Dafoe said: “The first time I ever traveled 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 flavors and how they come together.”
The ad seems to have gone down well with aficionados of the Islay malt, with one commenting on YouTube: “One of the best commercials I’ve seen in a long time. Bizarre and wonderful at the same time. Just like the whisky itself”.
Working with Laphroaig’s senior blender Sarah Dowling, Dafoe has also co-created a limited-edition whisky, set for release in 2026.
Laphroaig has been owned by Suntory Global Spirits, part of Osaka-based Suntory Holdings, since 2014. The Islay distillery was founded in 1815 by brothers Donald and Alexander Johnston and has latterly been owned by Whitbread, Allied Domecq, Fortune Brands, and Jim Beam Brands.