There is no reliable, comparable global ranking of “booze billionaires.” Forbes profiles document several fortunes linked to spirits, but they do not isolate how much of each person’s net worth comes from alcohol. The people below are notable examples, not a definitive ranking; their wealth figures and business ties should be read as dated snapshots.
Why there is no definitive ranking
“Booze billionaire” is an informal label, not a standardized wealth category. A person’s total estimated net worth may include investments and businesses outside alcohol, while a family fortune, a company’s sale price and an individual’s wealth estimate are different measures. Without a consistent way to value alcohol-related holdings across people, putting them in a precise order would imply more certainty than the available figures support.
Forbes says its Real-Time Billionaires ranking tracks daily net-worth changes. A real-time value is a snapshot, not a fixed or alcohol-only valuation. Check the date shown with a figure, and do not treat it as the portion of wealth attributable to spirits.
Notable fortunes linked to alcohol
William Goldring and family: Sazerac
Forbes’ profile of William Goldring & family links the family’s fortune to liquor and Sazerac. It describes Sazerac as owning about 500 alcohol brands and a dozen distilleries, with operations in the United States, Canada, France, Ireland and India. The profile names Pappy Van Winkle, George T. Stagg and Fireball among its brands.
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Forbes reported that Sazerac acquired BuzzBallz in 2024 for an estimated $400 million. That is an acquisition-price estimate, not a measure of Goldring’s personal net worth or the family’s alcohol-attributable wealth.
Jay-Z: spirits stakes among wider assets
Forbes’ Jay-Z profile describes stakes in spirits brands alongside other assets. It says he sold half of Armand de Brignac to LVMH in 2021 and a majority stake in D’Usse to Bacardi in 2023. Those transactions establish a connection to alcohol businesses, but they do not make his total estimated fortune an alcohol-only figure.
John Paul DeJoria: Patrón cofounder
Forbes’ John Paul DeJoria profile says he cofounded Patrón Spirits, which Bacardi acquired in 2018 in a deal reported at $5.1 billion. The deal value is not DeJoria’s personal proceeds, nor a current estimate of his net worth; it should not be compared directly with an individual wealth estimate.
Bert Beveridge: Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Forbes’ Bert Beveridge profile attributes this statement to Tito Beveridge: “If someone tells me my brand isn’t a craft-distilled spirit because it’s too big, I just say, ‘I make it the same way I’ve always made it.’” The profile excerpt does not establish when he said it, so it should not be read as a recent comment.
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What broader billionaire totals do—and do not—show
Forbes Brasil reported on March 10, 2026, that 255 people in its broad food-and-beverage grouping had a combined US$1.26 trillion in wealth. The category includes businesses beyond alcohol, so that total is not a count or valuation of “booze billionaires.” It provides context for the wider food-and-drink sector, not an alcohol-only ranking. Forbes Brasil’s 2026 food-and-beverage report gives the category and total.
Quick Recap
How to compare alcohol-linked fortunes responsibly
- Use a dated estimate. Wealth values can change; identify the publisher and the date attached to the figure.
- Separate total wealth from alcohol exposure. A billionaire’s total net worth is not the same as the value of their alcohol holdings.
- Describe the connection precisely. Distinguish a founder, a family owner and a person with a partial stake or a completed sale.
- Keep deal values in their lane. An acquisition price describes a business transaction, not necessarily what an individual received or is worth today.
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