“Thanks for your email. I am currently out of the office but will still be very hard at work selling Aviation Gin. For quite a long time, it seems.” That’s the automatic response to anyone who emails Ryan Reynolds at Aviation Gin.

Diageo is set to buy the New York-based spirits company Davos Brands, which owns Aviation Gin and Balcones whiskey.

The Deal

$610 million is not too shabby of an earn-out deal for three years of work. Reynolds became the brand ambassador in 2018. It’s reported he’ll receive an initial payment of $335 million, but there’s potentially another $275 million on the table depending on sales over the next ten years.

The Email

You have to love the actor’s sense of humor on this. Then again, $610 million would make just about anyone giddy. “I just learned what an ‘earn out’ is… And I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone I told to go f— themselves in the last 24 hours. My lawyers just explained how long it takes to achieve an ‘earn out’… so… turns out I’m not as George Clooney as I thought.”

Clooney’s Tequila label Casamigos was also bought by Diageo a few years ago. Clooney, along with co-founder Randy Gerber, negotiated a deal that has $1 billion potential over a ten year period.

His email continued: “To those listed below, I’m sorry… and I’ll indeed be needing your help in the coming months and years. Thanks in advance!”

The actor went on to extend additional apologies to his wife Blake Lively, The Rock, Clooney, Diageo’s chief executive Ivan Menezes, retailer Total Wine and his own mother.

Deadpool and Tequila

Recently, Reynolds’ Deadpool character was named “creative director” of Espolòn Tequila which is distributed by the Campari Group.

Evidently, there’s more to come from film’s latest spirits superstar.

-Cigar & Spirits Magazine