It’s the year of Beyoncé (again), and we’re here for it.
After the smash success of her Cowboy Carter album, you’d think she would take a rest, but it looks like she’s swapping (er, adding) whisky to the hot sauce in her bag, and y’all, the swag. Bey is releasing a new Japanese-style inspired whisky made in collaboration with luxury brand Moët Hennessy. It’s named SirDavis, in honor of the 32-time Grammy award winner’s great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, who was a moonshiner during Prohibition in the American South. The bottle features a gorgeous, tiny horse on the front — a common theme Beyoncé has used since her Renaissance album cover. (Honestly, it reminds me of the Centenario Reposado tequila bottle I used to see my own dad drink from.)
But the inspiration behind the branding goes deeper than just her cowgirl roots. Cameron George, the blender of the Houston-native’s new spirit, told Forbes when Knowles-Carter’s dad, Matthew Knowles, visited his grandfather at the distillery, it was the first time he heard a Black man referred to as “Sir.” As the story goes, to share his work with family, B’s great-grandfather “would stash his bottles in the empty knots of cedar trees on his farm for friends and kin to find and enjoy.” The flavor of the liquor is described as Japanese-style, which is inspired by traditional Scotch Whisky. (The spelling of “whisky” is also a tribute to the Scottish style, as opposed to the traditional usage of the “e” in many Texas whiskeys.) It’s made with 51% rye and 49% malted barley —in American oak barrels and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks — and its flavor has notes of citrus, spices, toffee, and honey.
