Whisky is much more than just a drink. It is a cultural touchstone, and has been the inspiration of many artists across the ages, including singers and songwriters. Countless performers have sung about whisky in the context of love, loss, and rebellion. But few have found themselves in the position to bring their own take on whisky to life.
Enter Beyoncé. The Queen Bey herself. She’s not just another celebrity slapping her name on a label of a bottle of liquor. Known for her love of whisky, she has devised and developed her own new American whisky, with a twist.
Working with the team at Moët Hennessy, owned by luxury goods company LVMH, Knowles-Carter is diving deep into the history of American liquor, inspired by her love for the flavours of Japanese whisky, to craft something that’s as much a reflection of her character as it is of American whiskey itself.
“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 SirDavis Whisky founder Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
With the help of Dr Bill Lumsden, together they set out to create something that stands apart in the canon of American whiskey. Famed for his work on the Moët Hennessy Scotch whisky portfolio of the Glenmorangie single malt, and the smoky, peaty Ardbeg brand, Lumsden is a man who knows whisky like Hendrix knew his guitar.
“With SirDavis, we looked to challenge the category norms and offer something new in the space,” Lumsden comments. His inspiration was pre-Prohibition American whiskey, where rye played a major role in the flavour. As such, Lumsden worked on a number of recipes over a number of years, settling on a final, bespoke mash bill composed of 51 per cent rye and 49 per cent malted barley, as the backbone of the liquid.
Rye, known for bringing spicy, almost earthy notes to whisky, is a hard beast to tame, especially with a goal to create a smooth, velvety offering that mirrors whiskies more commonly made in Japan and Scotland. Lumsden drew on his skills pioneering secondary maturation in single malt Scotch, a process of adding a final flurry of flavour, letting the whisky spend a short time in a more active cask before bottling.
Here, Lumsden first matured the whisky for SirDavis, distilled in Indiana, in new American oak barrels, before employing casks that formerly held the sweet, sticky, and rich Pedro Ximénez sherry for a finish of around nine months.
Crucially, this additional maturation takes place at the brand home, or ‘Maison’ as Moët Hennessy will call it, in Knowles-Carter’s home state of Texas, where the brand will be rooted and developed. The whisky is also blended and bottled in Texas, is non-chill filtered to retain even more texture, and is bottled at 44% ABV (88 proof).
Sitting down with Lumsden to try SirDavis revealed a clear passion to create a liquid that would reflect Beyoncé’s vision for the brand and her love for Japanese and Scotch style whiskies. “We wanted to reflect those flavours yet base it all on classic American whiskey-making, with the high rye content,” Lumsden notes.
And the result is something quite remarkable, a high-rye whisky which also manages to be smooth and easy drinking, with a backbone of sweetness and spice. SirDavis is more than just a drink. It’s a testament to tradition, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
The whisky itself is rich and complex; the high-rye and high-malt content mash bill, coupled with the innovative maturation process has resulted in a high-definition whisky. The aroma is symphony of ginger, spices, candied orange peel, and rich black cherries. The palate delivers toffee, dark chocolate, mocha notes, and a hint of Black Forest gateau. As for the finish, it is long, lingering, silky, and rich.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s influence reached beyond the liquid, to the bottle itself, where her vision was to create a statement decanter to showcase the whisky. The result is a tall, elegant bottle with ribbed glass that lets the amber whisky inside shine through, crowned with a bronzed horse emblem. That horse isn’t just for show; it’s a nod to her Texas roots — strength, respect, and a bit of Southern swagger. The choice to spell it ‘whisky’, without the ‘e’, is a calculated move, positioning SirDavis right up there with Scotch and Japanese whiskies, aligning them from a flavour perspective.
The name too is an important pillar of SirDavis Whisky, chosen to honour Knowles-Carter’s paternal great-grandfather, Davis Hogue. He was a famed moonshine distiller in the American South during Prohibition, known for hiding bottles of his spirit in the base of trees for friends and family to find. For Knowles-Carter, this lineage of distilling has been four generations in the making.
“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,” notes Knowles-Carter. “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 — welcome, SirDavis.”
SirDavis is designed to create a legacy; a love letter to Beyoncé’s roots, to the Southern flavour and sophistication she embodies. More expressions are planned, along with age stated releases, with a full brand home to be developed soon, too.
This new look at American whiskey, through the eyes of a whisky-lover and the lens of a whisky-maker, has created something truly unique. SirDavis, with its high rye and high malt mash bill, and rich PX sherry maturation in Texas, is not just a new American whiskey. It is American whisky in stereo.
SirDavis Whisky is available for preorder via select UK retailers, at RRP £79. For more information, visit SirDavis.com.
