Matthew Lillard is using DnD whiskey to build the ultimate luxury nerd community

Find Familiar Spirits, the alcohol brand co-founded by Hollywood actor Matthew Lillard, launches its next DnD-inspired whiskey on May 1. Speaking to Wargamer, Lillard describes Quest’s End: Druid as a “herbaceous and delicious” drink with a flavor that offers notes of sweet menthol, molasses, and apple pie. That’s not all the Scream star has planned for his company, though, as the release kicks off a new ‘Fam Club’ subscription that offers customers discounts, virtual tastings, and real-life parties to attend.

Find Familiar Spirits launched its Quest’s End series of whiskeys in 2023. Each bottle takes inspiration from one of the core DnD classes or a particular fantasy monster, with a unique flavor and story booklet that ties the finished product together.

Druid, the fifth Quest’s End whiskey and the debut ‘Season Two’ drink, is a four-grain bourbon with elements of vanilla and caramel. A press release from Find Familiar Spirits says the liquid is finished in rum and rouge vermouth barrels “to draw out its beautiful green and herbal notes”, as befits a DnD Druid drink.

Lillard says that the company’s master blender, Molly Troupe, uses the ongoing story installments of Quest’s End to create flavors. “We fill her in all the way through, and she takes the information that she gets from our writer, Andrea Stewart, and she interprets it”, he tells Wargamer. “She blends based on what she finds in the character class and the character’s story.”

“We are creatives in nature, so we are bringing that storytelling to our community”, he continues. “That’s the value we add. There are plenty of other whiskey brands out there that give you a brown liquid to drink at your poker table, but we’re a different table for a different collection of people.”

Those ‘people’ Lillard refers to are those that engage with a particular fandom. Quest’s End caters to lovers of D&D and other fantasy media, and Find Familiar Spirits has already branched out and produced both Critical Role and horror-themed drinks.

Lillard is well-known for his roles in horror movies, but he’s also become increasingly famed for his love of tabletop games. He’s a regular guest at high-profile D&D actual play shows, and he’s co-founder of another company serving luxury products to gamers, Beadle & Grimm’s. When asked about his association with the hobby, Lillard tells Wargamer “My favorite place to be is around a gaming table, so I hold it as a badge of honor.”

Fam Club, “where fans become fam”, is apparently designed to bring fandoms closer together. “Our whole pitch, what we believe in, is that we are a community brand first that’s built around spirits”, Lillard explains. “As we’ve grown, we’ve found our systems of operation that help us deliver the spirits, and now we’re trying to grow what our core principle is, which is to build for fandoms and allow them to engage, to bring people into the fold, to communicate with each other and to feel like they’re part of something bigger than just a sale.”

Find Familiar Spirits’ website lists a Fam Club subscription fee of $50 for one year of membership. This pays for a 15% discount on bottles and merch, access to a Discord server, early access to sales, exclusive digital content and rare item sales, and “priority support”. The subscription also offers “invitations to exclusive digital and in-person events, like tastings and parties”.

When asked why community and fandom are so important to him, Lillard says it’s because “I identify so deeply with being an artist.” “That goes back to the days of junior high school and high school, where I sat in the black box theater and was surrounded by people who knew me for who I really am and who were committed to building something together.” “That sense of identifying with people that are akin to you is super powerful”, he adds.

“We are trying to allow people in different communities to feel that same strength of courage, strength of community, and the feeling that you are not alone”, Lillard tells Wargamer. “Building for and engaging with the horror community, the D&D community, and communities we will cater to in future, feels like a higher purpose. It gives our brand a meaning that we’re really proud of.”

Season two of Quest’s End begins with Druid, but this adventure will soon be followed by three other whiskeys: Monk, Wizard, and Revenant. A bottle is listed on Find Familiar Spirit’s website for $149.99, though Fam Club members are offered a discounted price of $127.50.

“This year, we have lots of exciting things planned out for our community in terms of what we’re bringing to their glasses”, Lillard says. “We’re really trying to expand what we do with the language of the liquid. “We’re trying to do some really exciting things, which we can’t talk about at this time, but I think people are going to be thrilled.”

If you’d like to check out more of Matthew Lillard’s tabletop work, you can learn all about his show, Faster Purple Worm, Kill! Kill! in our interview. Plus, be sure to check out Lost Odyssey: Godfall, a Pathfinder actual play show GMed by Beadle & Grimm’s co-founder Bill Rehor. Plus, we have a Wargamer Discord where you can join us to discuss all things nerdy.