John Wayne's Favorite Whiskey Brand Is Still Popular Today

There are certain things that are unequivocally American icons. Bald eagles, baseball, apple pie, and the Statue of Liberty come to mind, but so do cowboys and bourbon. The most famous movie cowboy of them all is undoubtedly John Wayne, one of the 20th century's most prolific actors, who is famously associated with Western films. He loved whiskey, but not just any kind. "The Duke," as he was known, preferred Kentucky-born-and-bred bourbon, specifically Wild Turkey, which is still widely enjoyed today, even amongst throngs of brands.

Wayne enjoyed the spirit so much that he was known to have cases of Wild Turkey shipped to his filming locations. He also gifted his co-stars customized coffee mugs. His son, Ethan Wayne, explained to Cowboys & Indians that his father liked to turn movie sets into a place of comfort when filming wrapped for the day. Wayne, the rest of the cast and crew, "would have a cocktail and gather around the grill. They talked, told stories, laughed, and smiled. It was in those moments when my dad really lived life. He loved it," Ethan recounted. Presumably, those times included plenty of Wayne's stash of Wild Turkey.

It's unclear when exactly Wayne first developed an affinity for Wild Turkey, but we know the distillery was founded in Lawrenceburg, KY in 1869. However, the bourbon wasn't named "Wild Turkey" until 1940, when a company executive shared the spirit with friends during a wild turkey hunting trip.

Perhaps no one quite realized John Wayne's full appreciation for bourbon until after the actor had died in 1979. His son, Ethan, discovered a bevy of whiskeys and bourbons that his father had amassed, including some that had been custom-blended for the actor. Using this collection as an inspiration, Ethan developed Legendary Duke, a bourbon named for his father and produced in Owensboro, KY. Not totally surprising is the fact that when Forbes conducted a profile of the current Legendary Duke bourbon in 2019, it found an uncanny resemblance in the mash bill and flavor notes to none other than Wild Turkey.

Wayne also appreciated good tequila, and enjoyed fine wines and French champagne. Somehow, it's much easier to picture The Duke, in his famous cowboy getups, sipping a glass of bourbon on the open range, than holding a champagne glass with his pinky up. Naturally, he'd be standing over an open fire, keeping a close eye on his go-to beef cut, the cowboy steak.