Actor Matthew Lillard Rolls the Dice with a New Blended Bourbon from Quest's End

In recent years, there’s been a flood of celebrity-backed spirits brands. Actor Matthew Lillard—best known for his roles as Stu Macher in “Scream” and Shaggy in “Scooby-Doo”—and screenwriter Justin Ware joined that party later in the year, jumping in with Quest’s End, a whiskey label that takes many cues from the fantasy genre and tabletop roleplaying games. The pair had help from Blue Run Spirits co-founder Tim Sparapani, who serves in an advisory role, and TX Whiskey alum Alé Ochoa, who was picked as master blender.

The initial release, Paladin, was a 50% ABV blend of sourced bourbons that was released online in early October. The debut came with the promise of more expressions, and Quest’s End is making good on that pledge with its second release: Rogue.

Quest’s End doesn’t disclose information about its whiskeys, but at a glance, Rogue is nearly identical to its predecessor Paladin. Both are blends of Kentucky and Indiana bourbons, sourced from undisclosed distilleries and aged for at least 4 years. The difference between the two seems to lie in the desired flavor profile: Paladin was blended to showcase vanilla and fruit alongside some spicier notes; Rogue, which was bottled at 49.15% ABV, is said to have a fruitier profile with a green and herbaceous finish.

Rogue was released as a love letter to fans of Dungeons & Dragons, the tabletop game that counts Lillard as an avid fan. The bottle art, which draws inspiration from the D&D rogue player class that also inspired this whiskey’s name, was designed by artist Tyler Jacobson, whose work is also featured in D&D’s rulebooks. The whiskey is accompanied by the second chapter of “Dawn of the Unbound Gods,” an original fantasy saga written by Kate Welch, who co-authored the D&D sourcebook “Ghosts of Saltmarsh.” Each of Quest’s End’s first 16 expressions will come with a new chapter of this saga.

Quest’s End Rogue, which has the suggested price of $150, is currently available as an online exclusive with shipping to 40 states. It was released in limited numbers, with roughly 9,500 bottles available, so interested adventurers will have to act while supplies last.