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SirDavis

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SirDavis
Company typeJoint venture
IndustryWhisky
Founded2024 (2024)
FounderBeyoncé Knowles-Carter
Dr. Bill Lumsden
HeadquartersHouston
Websitesirdavis.com

SirDavis is an American whisky launched in 2024. The brand is a joint venture between Moët Hennessy and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.[1] SirDavis is named after Knowles-Carter's great-grandfather Davis Hogue, a Prohibition-era moonshiner and farmer in the American South. The whisky is finished, blended, and bottled in Texas, with headquarters in Houston.[2] In August 2024, Moët Hennessy announced that the product would be available in the U.S. and select stores in London, Paris, and Tokyo beginning in September 2024.[3]

History

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I knew I wanted to create a whisky brand before I knew the story of my great-grandfather. Discovering my history has been deeply inspiring and motivating. Our whisky’s legacy dates back over 200 years to a Black man in Alabama in the 1800s... a man who was a businessman and an entrepreneur, but would have never had the opportunity to create a mainstream whisky back then. Systemic barriers would not have allowed it.

— Beyoncé speaking to GQ in September 2024.[4]

Hogue, Knowles-Carter's paternal great-grandfather, was a farmer and moonshiner in the American South during Prohibition who is said to have stashed whiskey bottles in the empty knots of cedar trees for friends and kin to discover and imbibe.[5][6] When Mathew Knowles visited his grandfather at the distillery, it was the first time he heard a black man referred to as “Sir.”[7][8]

Knowles-Carter, a whisky enthusiast, approached Moët Hennessy about developing a new whisky.[1] Dr. Bill Lumsden, who helped create Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, worked with Moët Hennessy to lead creation of the product.[9] Working with Knowles-Carter and blender Cameron George, he selected the brand's mash bill of 51% rye and 49% malted barley and incorporated traditional whisky-making techniques from Japanese and Scottish whiskies.[1] The product is aged in American oak barrels and finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, and is the first spirits brand developed entirely internally by Moët Hennessy in the U.S.[3]

Product

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SirDavis is 44% alcohol by volume and 88 proof.[3] It has no age statement. It is deep copper in color, with a fruity (Seville oranges, raisins) and spicy (clove, cinnamon, ginger) aroma with notes of Demerara sugar and toffee. Its taste is reminiscent of toffee and spices (cinnamon, clove, rye spice), followed by malty and biscuity notes, and a citrus top note. The finish has hints of honey with notes of sultanas and cherries.[10][11]

Reception

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Prior to its announcement, SirDavis was anonymously submitted to several spirits competitions under a "Davis Hogue Distillery Co." pseudonym. The whisky won Platinum and Best In Class for American Whiskey at the 2023 SIP Awards. It also scored a rating of 93 points at the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.[3][12]

Awards
2023 SIP Awards Platinium [1]
SIP Awards American Rye Best in Class [2]
Spirits Challege NY International Gold [3]
Ultimate Spirits Challenge 93/100 [4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Pharms, Gabrielle Nicole (20 August 2024). "We Experienced a First Taste of Beyoncé's SirDavis, Her Debut in the World of Whisky". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  2. ^ Erskine, Rosalind (20 August 2024). "Beyonce to release rye whiskey with Glenmorangie guru Dr Bill named in honour of star's great-grandfather". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Alindahao, Karla (20 August 2024). "Beyoncé Launches an All-American Whisky Brand and Yes, It's Got Roots in Texas". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ^ Anderson, Bryce (2024-09-10). "The Business of Being Beyoncé Knowles-Carter". GQ. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  5. ^ "The Business of Being Beyoncé Knowles-Carter". GQ. 10 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Beyoncé Pours up New Business Venture: Whiskey Brand SirDavis". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 August 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  7. ^ "Beyoncé Launches New Whisky with Moët Hennessy: SirDavis". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  8. ^ "Beyoncé Pays Homage to Great-Grandfather with New SirDavis Whisky". Black Enterprise. 20 August 2024.
  9. ^ Rappaport, Sarah (20 August 2024). "Beyoncé Partners With Moët Hennessy on a New American Whisky". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Our Whisky". SirDavis American Whisky. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ^ Kiely, Melita (20 August 2024). "Beyoncé enters spirits world with SirDavis Whisky". The Spirits Business. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  12. ^ Friedmann, Christopher (20 August 2024). "This New Superstar-Branded Whiskey Has Racked Up Major Awards. Now You Can Finally Get a Taste". Men's Journal. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
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