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‘Gladiator’ Star Russell Crowe and His ‘Drinking Buddies’ Invest in Irish Gin Company

Candie GetgenJan 20th, 2023, 5:50 pm

Actor Russell Crowe arrives for the Australian premiere of the movie “The Mummy” in Sydney, Australia, on May 22, 2017. Crowe is now backing the Muff Liquor Company, producer of Muff Irish Gin. (Photo: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

This week, “Gladiator” star Russell Crowe revealed to Sydney radio station, NovaFM, that he has invested a substantial sum in the Ireland-based spirits producer, the Muff Liquor Company.

The official announcement of his investment, reported by Donegal Daily, comes following a cheeky tweet Crowe posted on Jan. 11 in which he gave his review of the brand’s Irish Potato Craft Gin. Simply put, in Crowe’s own written words, the gin “goes down well…”

According to Donegal Daily, Crowe’s “drinking buddies” and pals — English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, Irish singer Ronan Keating and British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr have also invested in the emerging spirits company.

Speaking with NovaFM, Crowe said: “I found this product in Ireland and I put together a little group of guys. I said try this, should we get involved in this?”

Crowe has reportedly been a fan of Muff Liquor Company since his visit to Ireland in August 2022, where he first got a taste of the brand’s Irish Potato Craft Gin while on a break from filming “The Pope’s Exorcist,” according to Donegal Daily.

“I can proudly tell you that I have bought into the company and I am a Muff liquor man,” the actor continued.

Muff Irish Potato Gin is produced with four types of potatoes and botanicals such as mandarin, rosemary, lemon and elderflower. In addition, a touch of champagne extract is added to the spirit which gives it a “distinctive taste,” according to the Muff Liquor Company.

Muff Irish Potato Gin was also a Gold Medal Winner at the 2018 World Gin Masters competition.

The brand’s name comes from the town of Muff on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal. Other spirits the company produces are Irish whiskey and potato vodka. The Muff Liquor Company was founded in 2017 by Laura Bonner and her business partner, Tom Russell. The company continues the tradition of Bonner’s great-grandfather, Philip McClenaghan, who crafted spirits from the potatoes he farmed.

Peruse the range of Muff Liquors here, to get a taste of the spirits Crowe and his friends have come to love.

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Candie Getgen

Candie Getgen is the managing editor for Gin Raiders. Before immersing herself in the world of spirits journalism, Candie has been many things: a bartender, a literary journal editor, an English teacher — and even a poet. Now, Candie shares her passion for gin with the world and hopes to help others fall in love with it, too (if they haven't already!). When not writing, Candie enjoys sipping an extra-dry martini while painting or relaxing by the pool with a campy mystery novel.