Launching this September, the new whisky launched by Texas star Beyoncé, under the wing of Moët Hennessy (LVMH), has already caught the eye of industry specialists… The combination of numerous ingredients should contribute to its success with the general public.
An international star, the Number One in luxury goods, romantic storytelling, well-orchestrated communications, the intervention of an industry expert and, above all, a product known and appreciated the world over: everything seems to come together to make Beyoncé’s new whisky, produced by Moët Hennessy, the House of the LVMH group, a success…
On September 4, whisky lovers around the world will be able to purchase SirDavis, the new high-end nectar, for $89 a bottle. A pre-order system has also been set up before this date on the SirDavis.com website.
Before reaching this point, LVMH and Queen B scientifically blended the right ingredients to make this new Rye whisky stand out from the crowd.
Al Capone-alike Storytelling
The storytelling is a fine one.
Three years ago, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (her full name…) approached Moët Hennessy to create a spirit that would reflect her tastes, personality and Texan roots.
Even if the Texan singer is more attracted to Japanese whisky, she summons the memory of her great-grandfather, Davis Hogue (ennobled as Sir Davis by the grace of the brand…). Her ancestor, a farmer in the American South, was also a bootlegger, illegally distilling whisky during the Prohibition era!
“When I discovered that my great-grandfather had worked in the moonshine business, I felt that my love of whisky was predestined,” confided the star. SirDavis is a way for me to pay tribute to him and unite us through a new shared heritage. By partnering with Moët Hennessy, we’ve created a delicious American whisky that respects tradition while allowing consumers to discover something new and unique in this category.”
“SirDavis is not only a singular new American whisky of which we are proud. It’s also a testament to LVMH and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s unwavering commitment to craftsmanship, heritage and innovation,” LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault emphasized in a Moët Hennessy press release.
A whisky legend
Another precious ingredient: the use of an iconic whisky figure, Dr. Bill Lumsden, to craft the spirit alongside the singer with 317 million followers…
This master distiller earned his reputation and his letters of nobility by making Glenmorangie and Ardbeg single malt Scotch whiskies (from a single distillery).
This time, his brief was to imagine a sweeter, milder American whisky, in the spirit of Beyoncé’s prized Japanese spirits.
To arrive at the ideal formula, Bill Lumsden didn’t hesitate to shake up the tradition of American whisky, which usually blends three cereals (corn, rye and malted barley). He chose only the last two, resulting in 51% rye and 49% malted barley.
A blend found in Scottish and Japanese single malts, with their sweeter flavors.
Another departure from Uncle Sam’s tradition: after the usual initial maturation in American white oak casks, SirDavis is distinguished by a second maturation of six to nine months in…sherry casks. The means to enrich itself with “deeper, richer, fruitier notes”.
“We set out to challenge category norms and offer something new in this area,” explained Bill Lumsden. “The distinctive selection of grains and unusual secondary maturation in sherry casks have enabled us to achieve a signature profile that is wholly unique to SirDavis, a profile of bold sophistication.”
Building the buzz
Once the whisky was born, all that remained was to make it appreciated and known. And Moët Hennessy and LVMH know how to build buzz…
Even before its launch, SirDavis has already won a number of laurels to enhance its legitimacy and desirability: gold medal at the New York International Spirits Competition 2023, “Best In Class” at the SIP Awards 2023 (Spirits International Prestige)…
Last July, Moët Hennessy skilfully had its new whisky tested by specialist journalists in total secrecy. And reading their articles today, they have clearly appreciated it.
“A rich, complex and deliciously drinkable whisky”, says Neil Ridley, a writer and presenter specializing in drinks, in the English media Wallpaper.
SirDavis is also sure to be well received: the sleek bottle design was entrusted to Stranger & Stranger, a studio that has won numerous awards. The result is a sleek, elegant bottle with ribbed glass and a discreet “SirDavis” medallion depicting a bronzed horse in profile.
Promising trends
In addition to its intrinsic qualities, SirDavis is part of two promising trends: the renewed interest in American rye whisky, and the association of people with wine and spirits brands.
According to the trade press, American whisky is on a roll these days.
The origins of this spirit date back to the 18th century, when Irish and Scottish settlers imported the art of distillation to Uncle Sam.
But as the Americas were more suited to the cultivation of rye, Rye Whisky, containing a majority of this cereal, was born.
It became a national glory, and one of the founding fathers of the United States, George Washington himself, distilled it in his cellar and marketed it as “Washington Rye Whisky”!
ThePrivate Whisky Society website tells us that the Prohibition period (1920-1939) further enhanced its reputation. Despite its prohibition, it continued to be distilled (notably by Beyoncé’s grandfather…) and sold on the sly to those who could still afford it. Like Al Capone, whose favorite beverage it was…
The comeback of Rye Whisky
But after Prohibition, only one brand of Rye Whisky -Old Overholt- continued the tradition.
Today, however, according to the Private Whisky Society, we’re witnessing a genuine revival, with some twenty distilleries now offering around forty Rye Whiskies to be enjoyed on their own or as the basis for cocktails such as the Manhattan, the Sazerac or the highball.
To merit the name of Rye Whisky, a certain number of conditions must be met: it must contain a minimum of 51% rye (supplemented by barley and/or corn), have a distillation alcohol content of at least 80%, and have been aged for at least two years in burnt new oak casks at a level of 62%.
Another current trend in the world of wines and spirits is to associate them with personalities who give them an extra aura.
Stars such as Bob Dylan, ASAP Rocky and Drake, and actors Hilarie Burton, Jamie Foxx and Matthew McConaughey have already entered the whisky niche .
Alcohol and stars: a successful tandem
But the alcohol aisle in the broadest sense also attracts other stars.
Influencer Kendall Jenner, model Eva Longoria, singer Nick Jonas and actors George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ryan Reynolds have launched (or bought) their own tequila brands.
Actress Emma Watson drew on the expertise of her brother Alex to launch Renais, a gin brand that recycles organic grape skins from the estate of their father Chris Watson, a winemaker in France.
Ex-husbands Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently fell out over the Château Miraval wine estate they jointly owned in the south of France.
Beyoncé and her husband Jay Z, on the other hand, may have been wiser to separate their respective businesses.
Rapper Jay Z, had acquired the Armand de Brignac champagne brand in 2014, before selling a 50% stake to…Moët Hennessy. More than 500,000 bottles are said to have been sold, at between €300 and €8,000 each, in 2019, according to the Revue du Vin de France.
All that remains is for Moët Hennessy to invent a non-alcoholic cocktail with promising singer and actress Blue Ivy Carter, the 12-year-old daughter of Queen B and Jay Z…
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Read also > [Luxus Magazine] Kelsey McKechnie, cellar master at The Balvenie: ‘I fell in love with whisky’
