Chris Stapleton is setting the record straight about his relationship with alcohol. Rumors popped up online that Stapleton had gone sober. The musician clarified that he has cut back on drinking but still enjoys a drink.
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In an interview with Rolling Stone, Stapleton opened up about his drinking habits. “I don’t drink as much as I used to,” the singer said.
He further clarified that he shouldn’t be considered “sober” but he does have less time for partying.
“I’m a 45-year-old man who has a lot more responsibilities and a lot less time for leisure than I used to have. But I do enjoy [drinking alcohol],” he continued. “The first room you walk in at my house, there’s probably 200 bottles of bourbon there….I think the word ‘sober’ got used in an interview, and it’s probably a disservice to sober people to call me sober.”
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Chris Stapleton Launched Whiskey Brand
The misunderstanding arose after an interview Stapleton gave last year. In an interview with GQ, Stapleton talked about needing to scale back. The singer explained he drank a lot in his early 20s. “I like to tell people that I got into a drinking contest with myself in my 20s, and I lost,” he said. “…I didn’t have to go to rehab, but from a 45-year-old-man health perspective, a doctor’s gonna look at me and go, ‘Hey, man, probably cut out the drinking,’ and I’d be like, ‘Okay, cool.'”
That interview apparently got misconstrued. Stapleton still enjoys a glass of whiskey from time to time. In fact, it was one way that he stayed close to his bandmates during the pandemic. They would hold virtual taste tests for whiskey.
“That was our social activity,” Stapleton said. “It would inevitably just end with a bunch of guys cackling on Zoom, but it was fun.”
Stapleton also launched his own line of whiskey called Traveller, which he partnered with Buffalo Trace Distillery. The whiskey brand was named after the singer’s debut album. Stapleton has also sang about whiskey in songs like “Whiskey and You” and “Tennessee Whiskey.”
However, Stapleton is practicing moderation but still enjoys a glass of whiskey with friends. The musician has clarified previous statements.
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[Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]
