Hefty product placement deal for SKYFALL buys Heineken little on screen exposure; Instead a 50-year-old scotch gets centre stage

Heineken's announcement earlier this year that 007 would be seen drinking its beer in SKYFALL created howls of protest for fans and media alike. Headlines around the globe reported that James Bond would ditch his vodka martinis after Heineken stumped up millions of product placement dollars to appear onscreen. While the Dutch brewer's involvement with the Bond movies dates back 15 years to TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997), this is the first time that 007 has been seen actually drinking the brew.
 
While Heineken has reportedly stumped up $45 million to appear in the film, a figure that is more likely the total of all product placement deals from the movie's ten official partners, the Dutch lager actually makes very little impact onscreen and can hardly be seen.
 
Much more prominent is Scotch whisky brand The Macallan, which appears in several scenes. The Macallan 1962 from the distillery's Fine and Rare range is particularly prominent, from the same year as DR NO, the first James Bond movie of the series that is currently celebrating its 50th year.
 
David Leigh, who runs website The James Bond Dossier and authored "The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond" says: 'The Heineken deal was never a problem for me provided it wasn't as clumsy as the Omega watch in CASINO ROYALE. Going back to Ian Fleming's books 007 did drink beer on several occasions and more recently he drank a beer in a Bolivian bar in QUANTUM OF SOLACE. And just because he drinks a beer at one point in the movie doesn't mean he's switched from vodka martinis.'
 
"The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond" was first released in paperback form in 2010 and has recently been updated as a Kindle edition. The latest edition has almost double the word count of the original and includes an initial drinks tally from SKYFALL. Best of all it is free from Amazon's Kindle store until November 7.
 
You can contact David Leigh directly by email or phone for more information on the book. He is also available for interviews on any aspect of the 007 books or movies.

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