Kiefer fever: Actor's appearance in St. John's to promote new whiskey draws crowds of dedicated fans

May 28, 2023

Meet-and-greet and bottle-signing for entertainer's new Red Bank brand held at Howley Estates NLC

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ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — They lined up hours in advance, some with "24" DVD box sets, some with movie figurines, and at least one devoted fan with a tattooed image of the character David Powers from "The Lost Boys" on his arm – that's how excited fans of Kiefer Sutherland were to meet him and try his new whisky Monday, June 5.

Sutherland is co-owner of Red Bank whisky and was in St. John's to promote the brand, holding a meet-and-greet and bottle signing at the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation store in Howley Estates.

The event was limited to 300 customers, and they began lining up more than two hours before the event.

"I’m a huge fan of Kiefer Sutherland, a longtime fan since I was a teenager. I had the life-sized poster in my bedroom. I was so excited when I heard he was coming here," Keri Kao of C.B.S. told SaltWire.

She and her husband, Andy, were among the first in line to meet Sutherland and buy a couple of bottles of Red Bank, one to keep and one for a gift.

Sutherland signed both, along with the couple's box set of the TV series "24," in which he starred from 2001-2014.

"I remember going to see ‘The Lost Boys’ in the theatre. Look, these are DVDs, not even Blu-Ray," Andy said, chuckling, as proof of his and Keri's longtime love of the British-Canadian actor.

They described Sutherland as "extra nice."

"He was so friendly," said Keri. "He said it was nice to meet us and he appreciated us being fans. I briefly mentioned the fires in Halifax because they raised over $100,000 and I have a lot of friends who live there, and I told him it was a great thing he did."

Sutherland and his Red Bank partners — Gary Briggs, Shawn Hiscott and Rob Steele — had intended to promote the whisky at liquor stores around Halifax last week, but decided it wouldn't be appropriate when thousands of people were being forced from their homes due to wildfires. Instead, they held private tastings as a fundraiser for displaced residents, collecting more than $100,000.

Warren Brophy of St. John's was another fan who lined up early to meet Sutherland and attended a work meeting via his cellphone in the liquor store aisle while he waited.

"A full hour-long meeting," he said with a laugh.

Brophy is a die-hard Sutherland fan. More particularly, he's a mega-fan of the 1987 film "The Lost Boys," in which Sutherland stars as vampire gang leader David Powers.

"I saw it first when it came out and I was around 12, and I’ve watched it over and over and over ever since. I’ve literally watched it 100 times. People get pissed off watching it with me because I know every word," Brophy said.

As he approached Sutherland to have his whisky bottle and a "Lost Boys" figurine signed, Brophy pointed to a tattoo on his arm, saying, "It's you."

The inked image of Sutherland as a vampire is one of two tattoos Brophy has in honour of his favourite movie; the other consists of lyrics from the theme song on his chest.

Brophy said he had tried to meet Sutherland when the actor was in town filming "Behind the Red Door" in the early 2000s, but never got the chance.

He was thrilled to finally meet Sutherland and is excited to try the whisky.

"I would have gotten the whisky regardless, but now that he's signed it, it's that much better," Brophy said.

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Red Bank — a blend of three whiskies of ages from four to 10 years, with notes of caramel, toasted grain, rye spice and oak — is available across the Atlantic provinces and is expected to be released across the country by the end of the year.

There are plans for a release in Europe and select U.S. states as well.

It retails at NLC stores for $49.98.

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