In “Ameriican Requiem,” the first track from Beyoncé’s latest studio album Cowboy Carter, she proudly sings about being the “grandbaby of a moonshine man.” Whiskey indeed runs in Queen Bey’s DNA—her paternal great-grandfather Davis Hogue was a Southern farmer and moonshiner during the Prohibition era, stashing whiskey bottles in the empty knots of cedar trees for his loved ones to enjoy covertly. She’s now paying homage to his legacy with the launch of SirDavis, a first-of-its-kind whisky brand in collaboration with Moët Hennessy. The LVMH subsidiary tapped Dr. Bill Lumsden—a Master Distiller known for working on scotch whisky brands Glenmorangie and Ardbeg—to spearhead SirDavis across numerous tasting meetings and recipe trials, in which Beyoncè was intimately involved.
Much like anything Beyoncé lends her hand to, SirDavis doesn’t disappoint. Departing from American whiskey norms, SirDavis’s mash bill includes 51 percent rye and a high 49 percent malted barley. The concoction is finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, lending it a velvety feel that delivers waves of spice before settling into subtle sweetness. To validate the quality, the liquid was anonymously submitted to prestigious spirits competitions prior to launch; it won Best in Class for American Whiskey from the SIP Awards, outperforming more than 100 other entries.
Besides the potential to bolster Moët Henessy’s mild presence in the American whiskey market, everything about SirDavis reflects Beyoncé’s Lone Star State roots. SirDavis is headquartered in Houston and bottled in Texas, something she can raise a glass—or an exquisitely ribbed bottle emblazoned with her signature horse emblem—to with pride. “I’ve always been drawn to the power and confidence I feel when drinking quality whisky and wanted to invite more people to experience that feeling,” says Beyoncé, a devoted enthusiast of Japanese whiskies. “In partnering with Moët Hennessy, we have crafted a delicious American whisky that respects tradition but also empowers people to experience something new and unique in the category. You can taste it better than I could ever tell you.”
