‘The White Lotus’ Star Walton Goggins Has a Whiskey, Gin and Vodka Brand — Here’s What to Know

"The White Lotus" has once again returned to television with its signature blend of intrigue, debauchery and seemingly endless social media speculation. If you're anything like us, your Instagram feed has been inundated over the past few weeks with an avalanche of posts speculating on the fictional and real-life drama of the show's myriad stars. It's a hype cycle of gargantuan proportions, one that has quickly begun to shine a light on the lives and ventures of its key actors. For instance: did you know that Walton Goggins, otherwise known for his roles in "The Hateful Eight" and "The Righteous Gemstones," owns a liquor brand? Officially launched in 2017, Mulholland Distilling is the brainchild of Goggins and cinematographer Matthew Alper. Compared to the usual celebrity-owned fare, it's an unusually understated brand, selling bottles in the budget-friendly $20 to $30 range at liquor stores across the country. If you have a hankering for whiskey, gin, vodka or any of the above, it may be the perfect Sunday night purchase for your next couch session with the hit show.

All About Mulholland

Goggins is far from the only "White Lotus" star to dip his toes into the alcohol industry. In February, Patrick Schwarzenegger teamed up with Tanqueray Gin and Ketel One Vodka (for which the actor is a quote-unquote "spirits advisor") to unveil a pair of cocktails themed around the sunny vistas of Thailand. Hayley Lu Richardson of Season 2 was once recruited for a Jose Cuervo tequila campaign; fan-favorite Jennifer Coolidge for an irreverent ad promoting Svedka. Michael Imperioli, arguably better known as Christopher Moltisanti from "The Sopranos," even runs a bar alongside his wife in Manhattan's Upper East Side. But Goggins is the only one of the bunch with a dedicated brand of his own. [caption id="attachment_103911" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Mulholland Distilling)[/caption] Mulholland's flagship product is its American Whiskey, an ostensibly West Coast spirit with a decidedly interstate origin. According to the brand, the whiskey is distilled in Indiana (almost certainly by contract distilling giant MGP) using a mashbill of 94% corn, 4% rye and 2% malted barley. The whiskey declares no age statement on its label, likely one of if not the reason it isn't categorized as a bourbon. Following distillation, the spirit is aged in Kentucky before bottling at the Mulholland facility in Ukiah, California, about a two-hour drive north of San Francisco. It's rare to see a whiskey with so many locales under its belt. Though Mulholland is fully transparent about its production process, it is funny to note that the brand is themed around Los Angeles through and through — going so far as to label itself as "The Spirit of L.A."

“What is the name that represents Los Angeles? What is the artery that ties this together? What is one of the most famous drives in the world? That’s Mulholland Drive," Goggins told Jeb Dunnuck in 2020. "For me, a poor kid from Georgia, thinking about Los Angeles, Mulholland Drive was the first road I wanted to see. It’s the first place I went, even before I moved into that sh-tty apartment that I got."

Critics have noted that Mulholland American Whiskey is chock full of dry and spicy notes, namely leather, tobacco, cabernet and lingering almond. A few have commented that the spirit sits a smidge on the youthful side, though all agree that oak plays a big role on the palate. The expression currently holds a Raided Score™ of 84, situating it somewhere in the mid-range of aggregated reviews on our site. Moving on, we find the brand's Vodka and Gin, both of which are distilled in Northern California. Mulholland New World Gin begins with a mashbill of 100% grain blended with botanicals including juniper, fir pine, French lavender, Japanese cucumber and Persian lime (once again, those non-Californian influences begin to rear their head). Critics have taken quite a liking to this bottle, commending its bold signature flavors of cucumber and lime that segue into black pepper and faint vanilla. It currently holds an impressive Raided Score™ of 89. Mulholland Vodka is distilled from 100% non-GMO corn, presumably the same batch used to produce the brand's gin. However, Drinkhacker's Christopher Null says that the spirit is a beast entirely of its own, brimming with far sweeter punches of gingerbread, caramel corn and sugar that dominate the palate. [callout-app-promo]