Why Sammy Davis Jr Is Associated With Japanese Whisky
In the 1970s, Japanese whisky makers started putting Western celebrities in their ads. One of the first was Sammy Davis Jr. — singer, actor, Rat Pack member, and one of the few American entertainers at the time who actually made sense for the job. He wasn't just a familiar face. He already drank how whisky was usually served in Japan – tall, fizzy, and over ice.
Japanese whisky culture leaned light. Highballs were the standard: whisky with soda water and ice, usually in tall glasses. It was refreshing, restrained, and theatrical in its own quiet way. Davis already leaned that way, too. He was often photographed with tall, mixed drinks, which set him apart from the rest of the Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra — who favored martinis smothered in ice – was known for quick, stiff pours. Davis preferred something more deliberate.
By the time Suntory – one of Japan's oldest and most influential whisky producers – hired him, Japan was the scene for the cocktail revolution. Whisky wasn't just a drink — it was an entire performance. That's where Davis fits in. He not only sold the product, but he also matched it.
The whisky ad that didn't need a song
The 1974 Suntory commercial opens on Sammy Davis Jr. in a gray suit, alone at a table with a bottle of whisky. There's no music, no tagline — just the sound of Davis scat-singing under his breath and tapping on the glass. Ice hits the tumbler, the cap clicks, and the whole thing becomes a kind of beat. It's unclear what he's doing, but it's hard to look away.
It runs under a minute. No cutaways, no payoff, no slogan. Just Davis pouring a drink like he's messing around during rehearsal. The ad feels improvised but weirdly precise. There's something musical in how the scene builds, even without a melody. And for a whisky ad, it feels closer to performance art.
This wasn't how most celebrity ads looked in the '70s. It wasn't polished, and it definitely wasn't trying to sell anything the usual way. That's probably why it still gets talked about. Years later, the ad inspired Sofia Coppola while writing Lost in Translation, another quiet take on selling Japanese alcohol without saying much at all. But Davis got there first — and didn't need a script to make it memorable.