The Scotch Trooper: Taking Star Wars action figures and whisky on a galactic booze cruise

It may seem like a strange collaboration – the world of whisky and Star Wars action figures, but in an era where alcohol is going to be sold at Ogg’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge then perhaps not. That said, when photographer Brett Ferencz began posing Star Wars action figures with bottles of whisky, he couldn’t have expected the ‘cease and desist’ to come from the place it came.

The formula was straight forward, although hardly as simple as it seemed: he would artfully pose action figures from the George Lucas space saga alongside bottles of high end booze. By combining his love of aged spirits with his passion for Star Wars, Ferencz stumbled into a new career. Along the way he opened the door for a whole new category of Instagram influencers who are working kids toys into a very adult game.

“Posting action figures is something I just organically fell into,” Ferencz tells The Hollywood Reporter. “One day I posted a Fisher-Price stormtrooper in front of two bottles and it got such a great response that I tried a few similar shots and it got some great reactions.”

With newfound likes rolling in by the hundreds, the social media newcomer quickly invested in a larger, more expensive set of Star Wars figures. At the time, the posts were interspersed amongst other non-Star Wars related photos — which failed to attract even a fraction of the same engagement.

“After a few months I ended up being featured on Huffington Post, The Nerdist, Whisky Advocate, and others,” he says. “That was when I figured I should stick to that photo series.”

…and then there were two. My 2017 Favorites. – – – – -
This year not only brought a new career change and amazing meet-ups and trips. But 2017 also brought with it a few new additions to my whisky journey. I’ve really enjoyed diving into Japanese Whisky, American Single Malts, Bourbons, Ryes, and Canadian Whiskies. I also had a blast exploring Independent Bottlers and more Single Cask offerings. There is so much amazing whisk(e)y out there to enjoy. •What has been your favorite whisky discovery this year? #JapaneseWhisky #Japanese #Samurai #SamuraiStormtrooper #Suntory #stormtroopersamurai #starwarsfigures #toyartistry #toyartistry_elite #bandai #ashigarustormtrooper #StarWarsToys #scotch #scotchlove #scotchporn #scotchwhisky #whiskey #whisky #whiskygram #whiskylove #instadram #photooftheday #alcohol #toptoyphotos #Instatoys #toyphotography #bourbon #StarWars

A post shared by Scotch Trooper™ (@scotch_trooper) on Dec 29, 2017 at 9:08am PST

Surprisingly the C&D came from the the national trade association for liquor (the Distilled Spirits Council) rather than Disney, Lucasfilm or Hasbro (the Force Spirits Council).

“The Code Review Board concluded the use of Star Wars action figures is inappropriate for distilled spirits marketing materials,” A rep for the Distilled Spirits Council tells THR in a statement. “It was the use of these action figures, rather than any business relations with the Scotch Trooper himself, that was found in violation of the Code.”

As Ferencz explains it:  “Someone anonymously submitted a 26-page complaint to the Distilled Spirits Council stating that I, and all the brands I have worked with over the last few years, are advertising to minors by using toys in my photos.”