TLDR
Archie Rose has released a global brand campaign starring co-owner Chris Hemsworth and his brother Luke, a 1:45 parody of a whisky ad with AI-made scenes by Lipstick Berlin. It launches on Hemsworth's social channels, which the brand says reach more than 100 million people, as the Sydney distiller enters the US.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The campaign
Sydney distiller Archie Rose has released a global brand campaign starring its co-owner Chris Hemsworth and his brother Luke. The 1:45 hero film is a parody of a whisky commercial set in the Archie Rose bar: Chris tells a stranger, played by Luke, how he took whisky to the world.[1] Australian director Justin McMillan made it with Hemsworth, with US production agency Wild State and line producer Citadel, and it was filmed at eight locations around Australia.[1][2]
"It was a rare opportunity to build the comedy around their shared instincts," McMillan said. The scenes of Hemsworth taking whisky around the world were made with AI by Lipstick Berlin and cut into the live action.[1] Archie Rose head of marketing Victoria Tulloch called having Hemsworth join as co-owner and make the ad "a dream come true".[1]
Hemsworth's audience is the launch plan
Hemsworth joined founder Will Edwards as co-owner in August, ahead of Archie Rose's US launch.[3] The campaign launches first on his social channels, which the brand says reach more than 100 million people, as well as other channels in Australia and the US.[1] "Archie Rose embodies the very best of Australia," Hemsworth said.[2]
That is the marketing lesson in it. A paid ambassador rents an audience for the length of a contract; a co-owner with 100 million followers is a launch channel the brand doesn't have to buy, and one with a reason to keep posting. For an Australian spirits brand entering the US, that reach matters as much as the liquid.
The product behind the campaign
The launch comes with a new identity, bottle and packaging, developed with Glasgow agency Thirst, for three core whiskies: Single Malt, Straight Rye Malt and the new Australian Original. The liquids and production are unchanged.[2] Archie Rose was founded in Sydney in 2014, distils in Botany, and says it has won more than 450 awards, including World's Best Rye Whisky twice and World's Best Gin. Its whiskies are made with Australian-grown malts. After the US, the three whiskies go to Asia and New Zealand later in 2026, with the EU and UK in 2027.[3]
SOURCES & CITATIONS
- Chris Hemsworth spins a tall tale about whisky to brother Luke in Archie Rose's new global campaign (Campaign Brief, 21 Oct 2026)
- Chris Hemsworth stars in Archie Rose campaign ahead of US launch (B&T, 21 Oct 2026)
- Chris Hemsworth joins Archie Rose Distilling Co. as co-owner (PR Newswire, 25 Aug 2026)
- Archie Rose hero film (Chris Hemsworth, YouTube)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who are the co-owners of Archie Rose Distilling Co.?
Where is Archie Rose whisky made?
When will Archie Rose reach markets beyond the US?
James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.
