Rock along to these best songs about whisky

AC/DC – Have a Drink on Me

AC/DC is another of our ride or die rock bands. 

They’ve had a staggering amount of hits, including You Shook Me All Night Long, It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll), Highway to Hell, and of course, Thunderstruck, which inspired the Dark and Thunderstruck cocktail, our interpretation of the Kentucky Mule.

We’re honing in on their 1980 hit, Have a Drink on Me, for this playlist however. This Back in Black banger opens with:

“Whisky, gin and brandy

With a glass, I’m pretty handy”

And the rest of the lyrics continue exactly how you’d expect them too, as a love song to pouring a drink and having a good time with friends. While we like to do this as much as the next person, especially if it involves Ballantine’s Finest AC/DC edition, we also like to do so in moderation – not something that can be said of the protagonist in this song. Have a Drink on Me is a great song – just remember to drink responsibly if you want to get maximum enjoyment from the combination of whisky and rock music.

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Whiskey Rock-A-Roller

Including this 1975 favourite by Florida rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, is a no-brainer. Its title pretty much sums up what Ballantine’s True Music Icons is all about, whisky and rock-a-rollers.

As the last line says:

“Sometimes I wonder where will we go

Lord don’t take my whisky, rock and roll”

To us, this means that wherever you are, as long as you have good music and good scotch, all will be well.

Whisky has always had a rugged appeal that has attracted the free spirits, mavericks and rebels of the world, and this rock song about whisky gives us all those vibes.

Queen – Killer Queen

This classic rock belter is less explicit in its whisky references, but we just love its opening lines: 

“She keeps her Moët et Chandon

In her pretty cabinet”

Granted, Moët et Chandon is a little different to Scotch whisky, but together they make a delicious union in our Speyside Spritz whisky cocktail. 

It’s our take on the French 75 cocktail where we swap the gin for Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel whisky. This creates a stylish drink with plenty of sweet and sour flavours thanks to the tart lemon and sugar syrup.Killer Queen is one of our top Queen songs, with its theatrical nature and ridiculously catchy hooks. We like Queen so much that we made a unique ode to them with Ballantine’s Finest Queen Limited Edition Bottle, a stunning pairing of two British icons.

Metallica – Whiskey in the Jar 1998 cover

Whiskey in the Jar is an ancient Irish ballad that’s been covered by several legends. 

Thin Lizzy struck musical gold with their pioneering version in 1973, and then Metallica added their heavier spin on this traditional anthem in 1998. Metallica’s rendition was the well deserved winner of the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2000, and we can safely say it’s our favourite version of the song.

The lyrics aren’t about whisky exactly. They tell the tale of an infamous Irish outlaw, or highwayman, called Patrick Fleming. Fleming committed robbery and murder and was hanged for his crimes in 1650, so it’s pretty dark – to put it lightly.

While we definitely don’t condone violent crimes, we do condone a jar or two of whisky. And it goes without saying that we had to mention this iconic rock song about scotch.

The Doors – Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)

We’re ending our mini rock songs about whisky playlist with the oldest song in our repertoire, Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) by American rock band, The Doors.

This 1967 tune is actually a cover of a poem written by German theatre practitioner, playwright and poet, Bertolt Brecht. The lyrics are pretty simple (on face value anyway), featuring:

“Well, show me the way / To the next whisky bar” 

and 

“For if we don’t find / The next whisky bar / I tell you we must die”

Okay, so they have been somewhat dramatic with that last declaration, but we appreciate the dedication to good whisky!

This rock song is somewhat creepy and chaotic in style, but we recommend giving it a listen and deciphering it for yourself.

All that’s left to do is to don your headphones or turn up the speaker, take a sip of your whisky drink of choice and enjoy this playlist of rock songs about scotch. Cheers.

Don’t miss your chance to grab a limited edition bottle of Ballantine’s X Queen and Ballantine’s X AC/DC to shake up with your whisky drinks.