Key Takeaways
- • Bill Ackman says Warren Buffett told him at a private dinner at Ackman's home that he had not drunk water in 48 years, asking for Cherry Coke instead, according to a podcast episode released on 28 October on the Equity Mates Investing Podcast.
- • Ackman did not date the dinner, so the 48-year claim cannot be anchored to a specific starting point or confirmed as Buffett's current habit.
- • Buffett's own 1986 shareholder letter, dated 4 March 1986, referenced '48 years of allegiance to another soft drink' when he switched to Cherry Coke, a separate reference from the water remark.
- • Buffett told Fortune in 2015 that he drank at least five 12-ounce servings of Coke daily, a historical account rather than a verified current measure.
Summary
Bill Ackman says Warren Buffett once declined still or sparkling water at Ackman's home, asked for Cherry Coke instead, and remarked, 'Bill, I haven't had water in 48 years.' Ackman recalled the exchange on the Equity Mates Investing Podcast, released on 28 October, describing a dinner that took place 'years ago.' Ackman did not provide a date, and his account does not establish whether Buffett meant the remark literally, whether he was exaggerating, or whether his habits have since changed.
The undated anecdote cannot be converted into a clear starting date or extended to the present. It describes one meal and does not show what Buffett drank before or after the visit, nor that Cherry Coke was his only beverage. The NHS, cited in the coverage, counts milk, tea, coffee and soft drinks toward daily fluid intake, while recommending water as a low-cost option and advising against regularly consuming high-sugar drinks. That general guidance says nothing specific about Buffett's health.
Buffett's own writing offers a dated record of his soft drink preferences. In his 1985 shareholder letter, dated 4 March 1986, he announced he had converted to Cherry Coke after '48 years of allegiance to another soft drink' and designated it the official drink of Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting. That passage did not name the previous brand and concerns loyalty to a soft drink, not water. In 2015, Buffett told Fortune he drank at least five 12-ounce servings of Coke daily; that account is historical and should not be read as a current measure.
Accommodations for Buffett's tastes have also been documented. According to Alice Schroeder's biography, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates arranged for their tour company to teach hotel chefs to prepare hamburgers and chips during a 17-day trip to China in 1995. On the third day, when the group climbed the Great Wall, Champagne was served to other travellers while Cherry Coke awaited Buffett.
The undated anecdote cannot be converted into a clear starting date or extended to the present. It describes one meal and does not show what Buffett drank before or after the visit, nor that Cherry Coke was his only beverage. The NHS, cited in the coverage, counts milk, tea, coffee and soft drinks toward daily fluid intake, while recommending water as a low-cost option and advising against regularly consuming high-sugar drinks. That general guidance says nothing specific about Buffett's health.
Buffett's own writing offers a dated record of his soft drink preferences. In his 1985 shareholder letter, dated 4 March 1986, he announced he had converted to Cherry Coke after '48 years of allegiance to another soft drink' and designated it the official drink of Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting. That passage did not name the previous brand and concerns loyalty to a soft drink, not water. In 2015, Buffett told Fortune he drank at least five 12-ounce servings of Coke daily; that account is historical and should not be read as a current measure.
Accommodations for Buffett's tastes have also been documented. According to Alice Schroeder's biography, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates arranged for their tour company to teach hotel chefs to prepare hamburgers and chips during a 17-day trip to China in 1995. On the third day, when the group climbed the Great Wall, Champagne was served to other travellers while Cherry Coke awaited Buffett.
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