Whisky in Comics: How the Nectar of the Gods Plays a Role in Comic Books

Whisky isn’t just in those beautiful bottles on your shelf. The nectar of the gods pops up all over the place in popular media. We often see it in TV series and films, and even in games. But what about whisky in comics? It appears there far more often than you might think. Here are ten times whisky shows up in comic books. Enjoy reading!

We’re kicking off this special on whisky in comics with the release of Maltyverse from a little while back. That’s when a whisky launched complete with an exclusive comic. The whisky is called Agent W, and so is the accompanying comic. George Koutsakis teamed up with Carl Harrison to develop both the whisky and the comic. The whisky in question is a 30-year-old matured in a sherry cask at the Cambus distillery.

The comic and the whisky bleed into each other, and that’s exactly what makes it unique (aside from being the first-ever bundle of whisky and a comic book). Harrison brought every facet of the whisky to life in the comics included with the bottle. Maltyverse is just the beginning, though: following this debut, the plan is to release subsequent issues that continue Agent W’s adventure.

If you’re into comics or animated films, you’ve likely heard of The Moomins. These hippo-like creatures sprang from the imagination of Finnish author Tove Jansson. For years they’ve been having all sorts of adventures in books, comic strips, and animated films (and a cartoon series).

One of the Moomins is particularly relatable. He wears a top hat and answers to the name Moominpappa, and he perks up at anything to do with whisky. When Moominpappa appears, you can bet the conversation will soon turn to the water of life.

In the 2014 Moomin story celebrating Jansson’s 100th birthday, the Moomins discover a batch of Old Smuggler whisky. A chest is floating at sea, and Moominpappa immediately knows what it is: the elixir of life in the form of a crate of Old Smuggler whisky. It turns out that 300 bottles of Old Smuggler were made by Macmyra. They never hit the shelves, but were supplied by special order.

A whisky comic that’s relatively new is Planet Ardbeg. The brand only came up with the comic last year. Naturally, the story revolves around Ardbeg whisky, bringing a multiverse concept to life in a sci-fi tale. The trio behind the series, Emma Ríos, Ronald Wimberly, and Sanford Greene, created a story released in a limited run of 40,000 copies.

According to its creators, Planet Ardbeg sits close to the cult classic Heavy Metal from the ’80s. That anthology pushed boundaries, whether this comic does the same hasn’t been stated. One thread running through the stories is the many “quirks of the whiskies’ flavors.”

The Marvel universe is filled with heroes who regularly make the jump to the big screen. In the comics, there’s no shortage of moments featuring a drink, be it a good beer or a glass of whisky, but one hero stands out: Wolverine. He’s often seen with a beer or a whisky in hand, thanks to one big advantage: his healing powers mean he can “almost never get drunk.”

Wolverine frequently shows up sitting at the bar. Sometimes it’s a cozy scene with plenty of others sipping drinks; other times it’s after a scrap, with half the bar in splinters. He’s not just fond of a drink, he’s got a fiery temper, too. As for what whisky he drinks, it varies. Sometimes it’s unspecified; other times you’ll spot “Jake Danials,” a cheeky nod to Jack Daniels.

In the Tintin adventures, one of his regular companions is Captain Haddock. He’s the one in the captain’s cap with a pipe rarely out of sight. Another defining trait? His insatiable passion for whisky (and his aversion to mineral water).

There are Tintin stories that revolve almost entirely around the captain and his whisky. In some adventures, Haddock drinks “Old Whisky” or “Old Scotch Whisky,” while in others he favors Loch Lomond. Haddock mirrors Tintin’s creator, Hergé, who admitted as much in an interview, especially when it comes to the whisky element. Hergé was also a devoted whisky drinker.

Hägar the Horrible is a comic strip that ran in newspapers for years (there’s also a collected edition of Hägar comics and a classic-format comic with a slightly longer storyline). In Hägar the Horrible you follow the Viking at home and across Europe as he and his sidekick Lucky Eddie go pillaging.

At home he almost always comes off second best, because his wife Helga rules the roost. When he’s had enough of that, he heads out raiding with Lucky Eddie. In several of the newspaper strips he sets off on a plundering trip to Scotland. But as it turns out, Hägar isn’t particularly good at pillaging either. Instead of looting, he goes golfing and drinks whisky! And that’s how Hägar suddenly finds himself on the whisky website Whisky Monkeys,

We’ve told you before that Wolverine has a thing for whisky in the Marvel stories. He enjoys a dram, or a whole bottle. In fact, he even shows a preference for “Jake Danials,” a clear wink to Jack Daniel’s.

Beyond the Wolverine comics, whisky pops up in other Marvel stories too. In several comics there’s a bottle of Canadian whisky called Winston Supreme Canadian. It’s the drink of choice for characters like Jessica Jones, Iron Man, and Deadpool.

What do you get if you toss Winnie-the-Pooh into a blender with whisky and a Looney Tunes cartoon? You get the Whisky & Gogo comics. It’s a strip many of you probably won’t be familiar with. The stories were published back in 1959 in the comic magazine Cucciolo. Not only is it very old, it’s also Italian. Whisky & Gogo was drawn by Luciano Bottaro.

The story revolves around an unlikely duo named Whisky and Gogo. Whisky is a bear who ended up with the hunter Gogo as a cub and was raised as if he were the child of the hunter and his wife. Whisky has one unique passion that suits his name perfectly: whisky. In the comics, the bear is often shown drinking the water of life, sometimes straight from a cask, other times from a large jug, and sometimes simply from a bottle or glass.

If you thought only Marvel ran off with the drink of the gods, think again. DC Comics, Marvel’s counterpart, also leans on whisky now and then. Take Superman. He usually drinks milk, but there’s a comic where he’s offered a glass of whisky. He initially turns it down, but when told he can’t get drunk anyway, he hesitates and considers taking a sip to join the toast.

Other characters in the DC universe enjoy a taste of the good stuff too. We see The Punisher, Frank Castle, reach for the bottle regularly. He generally drinks Jack Daniel’s, or at least a bottle that clearly nods to the brand.

Rounding out our list of whisky in comics is John Constantine. Dreamed up by Alan Moore, he first appeared in the Swamp Thing comics and immediately did everything he shouldn’t. He chainsmokes and drinks like there’s no tomorrow. And when it comes to the latter, he especially enjoys a good whisky.

Constantine also drinks well-known whiskies, think Ardbeg 10 and “Glen Elgin.” And when he drinks, he drinks a lot. In one of the comics he even crowns himself the Whiskey King. Hardly surprising given the volume he knocks back, but then again, he spends his days hunting down and killing demons.

These were ten comics where whisky plays a role. Sometimes it takes center stage, other times it’s more of a cameo. Have you spotted a whisky in a comic that’s not on this list? Let us know in the comments below!