Anybody with even the slightest bit of music knowledge will know exactly who Beyonce is. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, however, Beyonce is a multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, actor, entrepreneur, writer, model, and influencer. Now, I’m sure there are a few other titles to describe her that I’ve probably missed, but it gives you a rough idea of just how talented and successful she is.
Having rose to fame as part of girl group ‘Destiny’s Child’ before rocketing to superstardom after she launched her solo career, Beyonce has enjoyed a career spanning more than three decades, and she’s still going strong. Her latest venture, though, took her out of the recording studio and into the distillery, as she has launched her latest business venture, a rye American whisky called SirDavis.
As we’re such enormous whisky/whiskey fans here at GreatDrams, I decided to review her whisky, and do you know what, it’s shaping up to be a decent wee dram. Here’s what you need to know.
Yet Another Overhyped Celebrity Booze Brand or the Real Deal?
Celebrities have been releasing their own brands of alcohol since dinosaurs walked the Earth (not literally, as dinosaurs were said to be more tequila drinkers instead). Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but the concept behind celebrities launching their own brands of booze is certainly nothing new.
We’ve seen Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson launch his Teremana tequila brand, Ryan Reynolds sell his Aviation gin brand in 2020, and here in the UK, Jezza Clarkson’s Hawkstone brand seemingly offering every kind of beer, ale, lager, or cider going. One spirit that celebrities seem to have gravitated toward however, is one near and dear to our hearts, and that is of course whisky/whiskey.
MMA fighter Conor McGregor’s Proper Twelve Irish whiskey helped Irish whiskey go mainstream, while Stateside, Matthew McConaughey’s bourbon whiskey proved a huge hit. We’ve even seen David Beckham and Rod Stewart release their own Scotch brands. One dram we’ve not seen any celebrities even attempt to stamp their name on however, is a Rye whiskey. Until now.
Beyonce Knowles’ SirDavis Rye American whisky recently dropped, and thus far, reviews are looking decidedly positive.
Beyonce has made a habit of reinventing herself during the course of her career. She’s covered a number of genres including pop, HipHop, R&B, and now Country. Every venture she’s attempted, it seems as if she’s been enormously successful.
So, could she keep up this trend with her latest venture, her own brand of rye American whisky, which she has called SirDavis. Well, it seems like the answer is yes.
SirDavis is named in honour of her great-grandfather, Davis Hogue. Davis was a farmer, but more appropriately, he was also a prolific moonshiner during the Prohibition era.
Made in collaboration with LVMH and Dr Bill Lumsden, who is responsible for Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, the whisky is a celebration of her family ties to the whisky industry. Beyonce herself is said to be a big fan of Japanese Whisky, although this dram is nothing like a Japanese release.
As it’s a rye whisky, the mash bill is of course, predominantly rye. Whereas most bills are 95% rye with 5% malted barley, this dram is very different. It’s 51% rye, with the remaining 49% consisting of malted barley. This essentially makes it a rye/malt whisky hybrid. It then undergoes a secondary maturation in sherry casks to give it a sweet and complex finish. Make no mistake about it, this whiskey is American-made, through and through, as it is finished, blended, and bottled in the great state of Texas.
Photo Credit: SirDavis
Tasting Notes
So, we know what this whisky is, and we also know how it’s made and what’s in it, but how the heck does it taste? Well, we’ll get to that shortly, and go through a few more the basics along the way.
SirDavis comes in at a throat-warming 44% ABV. It’s also a gorgeous toffee brown colour and is presented in a retro-style bottle that is almost in the style of a decanter. It really does look great.
On the nose, you get those spicy, peppery notes synonymous with a rye whiskey right away. These are enhanced with fresh citrus orange notes, toffee, caramel, baking spices, ginger, and sticky dates. It really does smell amazing!
On the palate salted butter popcorn and vanilla sugar present themselves, combined with cinnamon, clove, toffee apple, citrus fruit, orange oil, and buttery shortbread. There is also plenty of classic peppery, rye spice notes fairly early on, that seem to compliment the other flavours beautifully.
The finish is lengthy, leaving you with a taste of hot honey, cherries, figs and raisins, pink peppercorns, and a sprinkling of oak. There’s an underlying sweet and spiciness here that lingers for a long time.
If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or grab yourself a dram or two, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at what we have to offer.
With a large selection of limited-edition and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.