One In A Billion

Michter’s Celebration, a $5,000-a-bottle whiskey, is having a star turn on the hit show Billions

- Jake Emem

Cut away the Wall Street vs. Pearl Street battling and Showtime’s Billions is essentially a modus operandi for how the exorbitantly rich spend their money. It’s a virtual smorgasbord of yachts, planes, helicopters, and mega mansions. Private hangouts with rock gods Metallica. Oh yes—and supremely tasty, exceedingly rare whiskey

In season two, hedge fund executive and alpha male extraordinaire Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis, is in the midst of a high-stakes game of poker. Meanwhile, his right-hand man and fixer, Mike “Wags” Wagner (David Costabile), sidles up to the bar, where an eye-catching, gold-flecked bottle displayed in a lavish red case is centered in the background. “Gimme a Michter’s Celebration,” Wags says with the confidence of a man who knows what he wants.

He doesn’t just want a glass, though. After downing a full bottle, another is brought forward in its carrying case. “It’s a road bottle,” Wags says, grabbing it and giddily striding away with his bubbly young date (who happens to be Maxim’s May 2016 cover girl, Sara Sampaio).