• by Teresa Buyikian , Yesterday

Laphroaig Scotch Whisky has tapped Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe for the latest installment of its ongoing “Unphorgettable” campaign.

Dafoe stars in the short film “The Taste,” along with an accompanying global ad campaign for the scotch from a tiny Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides.

The  three-minute-plus film, seen here, opens on a black-and-white scene of an oversized closet wardrobe. Dafoe’s voiceover says he was fascinated with space travel as a child and, as a result, locked himself in the closet for two days, “to try to get a taste of that experience.”

The viewer then sees an adult Dafoe exiting the wardrobe, pouring a glass of Laphroaig, contemplating out loud “ihe taste.. how do I put it into words… like licking a walrus chomping on a seaweed cigar… the smoking wolf in a sheep’s smooth skin.” He continues, reading descriptions sent in by customers:  “like being surrounded by a flaming tornado of wolves… my brother calls it ‘dirt in a bottle.’ I love dirt…” The film ends with the brand’s logo and tag, “Unphorgettable,” as Dafoe is seen stepping back into the wardrobe.

"When we tried to imagine Laphroaig as a human being, we immediately thought of Willem Dafoe,” says Sarah Dowling, senior whisky maker for Laphroaig. “He is the very embodiment of our bold and distinctive spirit. … I wasn't expecting there to be so many synergies between his approach to craft and character as an actor, to my own as a whisky maker."

The film was directed by Tim Pope, who also directed music videos for artists such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop and The Cure. It runs on the brand’s social platforms.

Dafoe has also partnered with Laphroaig  to create his own limited-edition whisky, which is currently “maturing, steeped in the peat, smoke, salt,” and will be released in 2026.

 Laphroaig  launched the “Unphorgettable” campaign in 2024.