Smoke, Cinema, and Dafoe: Laphroaig’s Latest Masterstroke

Kyree L. Frazier

There’s something poetic about pairing an actor like Willem Dafoe with a whisky like Laphroaig. Both are unpredictable, layered, and unapologetically bold—refusing to conform to what’s expected. In the brand’s latest “Unphorgettable” campaign, The Taste, Dafoe steps into the distillery’s smoky mythos with the same fearless energy that has defined his career.

For over two centuries, Laphroaig has stood apart—born from the windswept shores of Islay, a small Scottish island that seems to exist in its own rhythm. The brand’s story has always been one of rebellion and reverence: its signature peat-heavy profile dividing drinkers for generations, while its devotion to craft remains unshaken.

By the 1950s, under the stewardship of the visionary Bessie Williamson—the first woman to own and run a Scotch distillery—Laphroaig’s character expanded beyond taste to embrace culture. Williamson transformed the distillery’s malting floor into an impromptu cinema, screening films for local islanders and igniting a legacy that fused whisky, community, and art.

That cinematic spirit lives on in The Taste, directed by Tim Pope. Stripped of excess, the short film places Dafoe in an abstract, minimalist set—part dream, part distillation. As he wrestles with the ineffable nature of flavor, Dafoe reads descriptors from the brand’s devoted fans, the “Friends of Laphroaig,” bringing to life the eccentric vocabulary of those who’ve tried to capture the whisky’s essence.

The film’s rhythm mirrors a tasting itself—slow, then surging, then quietly lingering. Between Dafoe’s gravelly reflections, we glimpse flashes of Islay’s rugged coast, the gentle curl of barley smoke, and a surreal conveyor belt carrying objects that symbolize Laphroaig’s unmistakable identity. It’s a whisky ad, yes—but more importantly, it’s performance art.

To celebrate the launch, the Barley Mow pub in London was temporarily reborn as The Barley Dafoe, merging theatre and tradition in a way that only this partnership could. And as 2025 approaches, the collaboration will extend even further—with a limited-edition expression marrying Dafoe’s eccentricity with Laphroaig’s uncompromising character.

Because when a whisky this distinct meets an artist this daring, “unphorgettable” isn’t just a campaign—it’s a declaration.