Sam Heughan Might Be Continually Snubbed for His Work on ‘Outlander’, But at Least His Side Hustle Is Winning Awards
Outlander has drawn a lot of attention to its star Sam Heughan. But the actor’s always come up short during the awards season. His other gig, however, may have made up for his Emmy losses.
Sam Heughan’s side-gig has earned him top awards
Acting hasn’t been Heughan’s only passion in recent years. Apart from his Outlander fanbase, Heughan has built up a nice following with his whiskey brand The Sassenach. According to an interview Heughan did with Tom & Country, Heughan first launched his Sassenach in 2020 through the Great Glenn Company.
“I set up the Great Glen Company to produce products that I believe in, using my heritage and passion as inspiration,” he said. “We are currently working on my brand of whisky with our first announcement soon. First stop is obviously the lifelong dream of having my own dram.”
Sassenach has been more than a success for Heughan. Since its inception, it’s won the actor a Double Gold award at the San Franciso World Spirits Competition. Heughan also won the Best In Class at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, and Gold at the International Spirits Challenge.
Very recently, The National reported that Heughan added another award to his shelf. Online whiskey retailer Master of Malt gave The Sassenach brand a top championship, which was determined by public votes.
“We wanted to create a fair competition where we let real people choose who should be crowned their favorite that year,” social media manager Charlotte Gorzelak said. “Throughout the competition, only votes from our followers and via our website have the power to either knock out or take the brands included to the next round.”
How does Sam Heughan feel about ‘Outlander’ being nominated for an Emmy
Outlander has received some attention from the Emmys. During the drama’s first couple of seasons, it was nominated in a few categories like Production Design and Music Composition. Heughan was flattered by the potential recognition of the prestigious ceremony. But he asserted that the Emmys wasn’t the basis for Outlander’s success.
“You don’t think about that at all when you’re filming it obviously, and you’re just trying to do the best work you can,” Heughan once said according to E News. “And I think if we are being talked about in any sort of capacity, it’s just because everyone is working their butts off on the show, and everyone’s doing a really good job. And if people want to reward it, then that’s even better, but I guess the best part of it is the reaction from the fans, and the people watching it, that’s the real payoff. If there is anything else beyond it, then that’s just a bonus.”
Heughan seemed to believe that the fans’ appreciation for Outlander and other shows mattered a bit more than Emmy love.
“The shows these days [that do really well], it seems to come from word of mouth. They become hit shows. Your friends and family talk about it, and they recommend it for you to watch. I just hope that our show goes that way. Even if people do mention our show in conversation about Emmys or awards, that’s fantastic,” Heughan said.
‘Outlander’ showrunner Ronald D. Moore was disappointed Sam Heughan didn’t grab an Emmy nom
Like many, Outlander producer Moore was also a fan of the actor’s work. So much so that he expressed his own disappointment at Heughan’s perceived snub. But Moore also felt that spoke to the quality of shows and actors that were on air at the time.
“He was a huge part of the success of the show. We’ve always thought of he, [Caitriona Balfe], and [Tobias Menzies] as our big three,” Moore once told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s just a very competitive year, a very tough field. I wish Sam was included, but in our hearts he absolutely is because he’s incredibly deserving.”
