Queen B has stepped onto the spirits stage.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has joined forces with Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits subsidiary of luxury group LVMH, to launch a new whiskey venture, announced today. SirDavis, a whiskey finished, blended and bottled in the star’s home state of Texas, marks Moët Hennessy’s first spirits brand developed entirely internally in the U.S.
“The first-of-its-kind joint venture reflects a shared vision between Knowles-Carter and Moët Hennessy, two vanguards of culture and craft, around the future of American whiskey,” read the release.
This product was reportedly years in the making after Knowles-Carter, a Japanese whisky enthusiast, sought out Moët Hennessy to help craft a flavor profile that reflected her whiskey ideal, according to the release. Meanwhile, Moët Hennessy had been exploring ways to deepen its presence in the American whiskey market.
“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,” said Knowles-Carter in the release.
Scotch has been the focus within LVMH’s whiskey portfolio, save for Washington-based Woodinville Whiskey, which was acquired by the group in 2017. The move deeper into American whiskey comes as demand for LVMH’s flagship spirit, Cognac, wanes in the U.S.
Meanwhile, whiskey continues to dominate off-premise, with American whiskey leading the charge. Blended whiskey was also one of the fastest-rising spirit segments last year.
In 2023 Moët Hennessy was the only division of the world’s largest luxury company to not record positive revenue growth, falling -10%. Much of that is due to a dip in Cognac sales in the U.S. and China, although the division has seen a little better of a performance by Hennessy in the U.S. this year with retailers cautiously reordering. The group is now likely aiming to leverage Hennessy’s organic and nurtured relationship to hip-hop culture into a new segment.
The whiskey’s creation was led by Bill Lumsden, master distiller of LVMH’s Scotch whisky brands Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. SirDavis was designed to “challenge the category norms” according to Lumsden in the release, with a bespoke mash bill composed of 51% rye and 49% malted barley, and secondary maturation in sherry casks.
The ribbed glass bottle features a black medallion with a regal bronzed horse, emblematic of “strength and respect” and symbolizing Knowles-Carter’s Texas roots, where the brand is also headquartered. SirDavis is named in honor of Davis Hogue, Knowles-Carter’s paternal great-grandfather, who was a farmer and a moonshiner in the American South during Prohibition.
Now, his namesake bottles will be available for pre-order via SirDavis.com for $89, and at retail stores across the U.S., London, Paris, and Tokyo in September 2024. The product will also be sold in select airports (Los Angeles, John F. Kennedy and San Francisco).
Knowles-Carter now joins her husband, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, a noted investor and entrepreneur in addition to his music career, in making history in the alcohol business, and striking deals with LVMH. Carter gave a boost to champagne Armand de Brignac in a music video and bought 50% stake of the brand. In 2014, he bought out all other investors and in 2021 LVMH bought half the brand.
Last year, a legal dispute between rapper and business tycoon Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Bacardi was finally resolved when the spirits giant announced it has agreed to acquire the majority of Cognac venture D’ussé, with Carter retaining a significant ownership stake through his company SCLiquor.