In this day and age of celebrity-branded alcohol, it only takes a handful of stars to create something that will set a major record on the booze seismometer. A-list celebrities like The Rock, Mark Wahlberg, George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds have all launched stratospheric labels. So have Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Hart, Margot Robbie, Michael Jordan, Emma Watson and her brother Alex. And let’s not forget the guys from Vampire Diaries and the like. It seems like there’s a new announcement every week.
At this point, what celebrity would consider launching something in an industry more crowded than Times Square and expect people to turn their heads and open their wallets? Well, there's one who makes waves no matter what she does: Beyoncé.
Yes, HE Beyoncé launched SirDavis Whiskey with Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). It is named after Beyoncé's great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, a Prohibition-era farmer and moonshine maker in the American South who “hid bottles of whiskey in the hollow branches of cedar trees for friends and relatives to find and enjoy.”
“I’ve always been drawn to the power and confidence I feel when drinking quality whiskey, and I wanted to invite more people to experience that feeling,” Beyoncé says. “When I discovered my great-grandfather was a moonshine dealer, I felt like my love for whiskey was my destiny. SirDavis is my way of paying homage to him, and it unites us through a new shared heritage.”
Mason Poole/Julian Dadouk
This is no ordinary product with a famous name. LVMH has thrown its full weight and creative flair into this launch, choosing one of the most exciting characters in the spirits industry, Dr Bill Lumsden, head distiller of Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, to lead its creation.
Lumsden is known for his innovative releases and for SirDavis he has created something unique. The American whiskey features a blend of 51% rye and 49% malted barley that has undergone secondary maturation in sherry casks. According to the press release, he has used traditional whiskey-making techniques usually reserved for Scotch and Japanese whiskey. However, what exactly this means remains a bit of a mystery.
“With SirDavis we aimed to challenge category norms and offer something new in this space,” says Lumsden. “The distinctive grain selection and unusual secondary maturation in sherry casks helped us achieve a signature profile that is completely unique to SirDavis, with a bold sophistication.”
SirDavis also celebrates Beyoncé’s roots. The whiskey is finished, blended and bottled in Beyoncé’s home state of Texas and is headquartered in Houston. The bottle features ribbed glass and a black medallion with a bronze horse in the center. It’s simple, powerful and incredibly fitting for the Cowboy Carter era of Beyoncé’s career.
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While many were left in the dark about its impending release, the whiskey has been making the rounds at the spirits awards, earning trophies and high scores. SirDavis won the Best in Class award for American Whiskey at the 2023 SIP Awards, as well as a Gold Medal (95 points) at the 2023 New York International Spirits Competition and a 93-point score at the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.
SirDavis retails for $89 and is available for pre-order now at SirDavis.com. It will be available in September at retailers across the U.S., as well as in select airports and stores.
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