Beyoncé Just Launched A Whiskey Brand And It's Already Won Awards

Celebrity alcohol brands are a dime a dozen nowadays. From Ryan Reynolds' Aviation Gin to Jay-Z's D'ussé Cognac, star-studded bottles from Hollywood VIPs and Hall of Famers are proudly displayed on grocery store shelves and advertised across the airwaves. Matthew McConaughey and Peyton Manning are going to want to make room, though, because another celebrity whiskey is hitting the market — and it's from Queen Bey herself, in case you want to halt any games of Texas Hold 'Em and lay your cards down (or at least the one with spending power).

On August 20, 2024, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter announced another groundbreaking enterprise: SirDavis whisky, which retails for $89 a bottle. After setting out to redefine music genres through her ongoing three-part "Renaissance" project, the singer-songwriter has partnered with Moët Hennessy with her sights set on drinking culture. While it's an American whiskey bottled in Beyoncé's home state of Texas, SirDavis boasts a one-of-a-kind flavor profile with influences from Scotch and Japanese whiskies, according to a press release. (This may be why the brand uses "whisky" rather than the traditional American "whiskey.")

The venture also marks a meeting of industry giants. Beyoncé, the winner of the most Grammys in history, tapped Dr. Bill Lumsden, one of the world's most esteemed master distillers, for the venture. The partnership appears to have paid off: SirDavis has already won Best in Class at the 2023 SIP Awards and earned Gold at the 2023 New York International Spirits Competition for its rich flavor profile. It also comes with a noteworthy backstory.

All whiskey is made by fermenting grain, distilling the resulting alcohol, and aging the spirit in wooden barrels. But as any connoisseur knows, their recipes can differ drastically, leading to so many types from corn-based bourbon to Scotch. While most rye whiskeys feature some percentage of corn, which lends the liquor sweetness, each bottle of Beyoncé's SirDavis features a mash bill, or grain mix, featuring 51% rye and 49% malted barley for a full-bodied, spicy flavor. Along with traditional whisky-making techniques associated with elegant Japanese and Scotch whiskies, the spirit ages in sherry casks, which is meant to give it a more complex flavor profile redolent of fruit and spices.

The award-winning craftsmanship of this whisky means you might want to set aside any preconceived notions about celebrity alcohol brands when it comes to SirDavis. But Beyoncé's family history (teased in her country-rooted album "Cowboy Carter") also speaks volumes to her commitment to creating a quality product. The namesake for the brand is the singer-songwriter's great-grandfather Davis Hogue, a moonshiner in the South during Prohibition who would stash his bottles in his farm's cedar trees, according to the SirDavis website. In the press release, Beyoncé says, "When I discovered that my great-grandfather had been a moonshine man, it felt like my love for whisky was fated. SirDavis is a way for me to pay homage to him, uniting us through a new shared legacy."