Beyoncé’s whisky is the catalyst we’ve been waiting for
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, co-founder of SirDavis Whisky (image credit: SirDavis)
Beyoncé’s new whisky, SirDavis, has the potential to forge a seismic cultural shift around how we consider whisky drinkers forever, writes Becky Paskin.
I was asked by my new personal trainer this week if women actually drink whisky. It’s a question I’m asked at least twice a month, usually by the general public who have never considered that women might enjoy drinking it, let alone make it.
The reality is that people like me aren’t reflected in whisky advertising that often. Subliminally, the absence of diverse representation sends a message of ‘you don’t belong here’. It’s the reason whisky has a reputation as being a ‘man’s drink’ and why there’s rarely a queue for the ladies’ loo at whisky shows.
Even among the tidal wave of celebrity-backed whisky brands in recent years, there’s rarely a woman in sight (the exception being Melissa McCarthy’s 2022 investment in the Big Nose Kate brand).
There are countless articles of ‘Top 10’ whiskies endorsed by celebrities, all of which are almost exclusively male. The fact Beyoncé is the first female A-list celebrity to found a whisky brand, shows how tilted the stage is that we’re playing on.
This week the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter behind the historic Renaissance and Cowboy Carter albums unveiled SirDavis, a straight rye American whiskey made in partnership with Glenmorangie and Ardbeg producer, Moët Hennessy.
The Real Deal: SirDavis is a straight rye American whiskey crafted to withstand the test of time
In a world filled with Jacks and Johnnies, it was likely tempting for Beyoncé to call her whisky something cutesy and feminine like ‘Destiny’ (which was actually the project codename). But that would have been a mistake.
Named after her paternal great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, a farmer and moonshiner from Alabama, SirDavis speaks to her family heritage, a common theme through much of her discography. In American Requiem, the opening song for her latest album, Cowboy Carter, she sings “Looka there, liquor in my hand; The grandbaby of a moonshine man”.
This is more than just another celebrity-endorsed spirit. As 50:50 co-founder, Beyoncé has had a steer on the liquid creation (crafted alongside master distiller Dr Bill Lumsden, and blender and head of advocacy, Cameron George – both mentors for the OurWhisky Foundation), as well as the bottle design, imparting authenticity and a meticulous control over small details in a way many celebrity spirits overlook.
In short, SirDavis is the real deal (I’ve tasted it, and approve. It’s also already won several awards). Yet beyond the liquid and brand itself, the cultural significance of Beyoncé releasing her own whisky is seismic. With SirDavis, she’s telling her global army of fans, many of whom are Black women, that if she can enjoy whisky, so can they.
It’s the representation we’ve been waiting for.
‘Whisky has been exclusionary’
So why has it taken this long for a female celebrity to found a whisky brand? The situation is a catch-22 – without representation there will be no representation. Slowly women and people of colour are becoming visible in marketing campaigns, but only from those brands realising that by simply including marginalised people they aren’t going to lose their existing white, male customer base.
Moët Hennessy has been at the forefront of dispelling stereotypes of whisky drinkers with inclusive campaigns for Ardbeg and Glenmorangie for several years, and they’re extending the same philosophy to SirDavis.
As George explained to me during a guided tasting of the liquid this week: “This category at times has been exclusionary and hasn’t built a soft landing space for people who haven’t been incorporated.
“Oftentimes the archetypal whisky drinker definitely doesn’t look like us. One of the things we’re challenging is the preconception of who can drink whisky. Whisky should be for everybody. We’re very excited by the opportunity this gives us to redefine the space of whisky with integrity.”
Next-gen appeal: Cameron George is SirDavis' blender and head of advocacy
In a twist of what at first glance feels like a missed opportunity, SirDavis won’t place Beyoncé front and centre of its marketing. Her name isn’t on the bottle. There’s no picture of her or mention of her name on the SirDavis Instagram page.
Because although this is Beyoncé’s whisky, this isn’t about her.
“It would have been very easy to simply use her name and likeness all over the packaging and marketing materials but that’s not how you build something that achieves over 200 years of success,” George added.
“We are making something that’s going to outlive her, that will outlive all of us. Something that will stand the test of time. This is a story of her heritage and lineage, retrospectively and also the next 200 years of it. Creating it with integrity rather than an upfront cash grab was something that we were very meticulous in crafting.”
Still, in creating future generational wealth in honour of her ancestors, Beyoncé is also forging a new kind of legacy. One that invites others who look like her to also discover whisky for themselves.
The saying ‘if you can see her, you can be her’, has never held more true as fans already line up to pre-order SirDavis before it hits shelves on 4th September. As one Black female fan commented on Instagram, “In my entire life I have never drank whiskey, I will now.”
I have a feeling it’s a sentiment we’ll hear more from now on, thanks to Beyoncé.
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