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Louise Thomas
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Beyoncé has announced a new American whiskey line in partnership with Moët Hennessy.
After launching a chart-topping country album and haircare line, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer has another venture lined up, having partnered with LVMH subsidiary Moët Hennessy for an American whiskey label called SirDavis. Her collaboration with Moët Hennessy comes a few years after the LVMH subsidiary bought a 50 percent stake in Armand de Brignac, a Champagne producer owned by her husband, Jay-Z.
The 42-year-old pop star’s whiskey - composed of 51 percent rye and 49 percent malted barley - was crafted by a team led by master distiller Bill Lumsden, renowned for his creations in Scotland’s Glenmorangie and Ardbeg.
In keeping with her Southern roots, SirDavis will be finished, blended, and bottled in Texas. The glass bottles will be complete with horse medallions in a nod to the Wild West history of the Lone Star State. The liquor will be sold at $89 a bottle and reportedly takes its name after Beyoncé’s paternal great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, who used to make moonshine during the Prohibition era as a farmer working in the South.
In a press release, the pop star noted that Hogue inspired the line after she heard how he used to stash away whiskey bottles in empty knots of cedar trees as a part of a little scavenger hunt, surprises for his family and friends to find. Upon learning this, she felt as though it was “predestined” for her to launch a whiskey line.
This isn’t the first time the pop star has referenced her great-grandfather, having nodded to him in the lyrics of ”Bodyguard, from her recent studio album Cowboy Carter. She wrote: “Wheels in the gravel, Davis in my bones.”
Besides Cowboy Carter, the Renaissance artist’s last release was Cécred, a collection of haircare products. From oils and shampoos to cutting-edge tools, she offered fans a curated selection of products, combining hair science with time-told traditions.
In an interview with Essence, the “Halo” singer explained how Cécred’s moniker was both a reference to the last bit of her name as well as the word “sacred.” She noted that the line was also a nostalgic tribute inspired by experiences at the salon and with her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson.
“The relationship we have with our hair is such a deeply personal journey,” she told the outlet. “From spending my childhood in my mother’s salon to my father applying oil on my scalp to treat my psoriasis — these moments have been sacred to me.”
While celebrity haircare lines have become commonplace, celebrity alcohol brands have become more lucrative, with George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila and Ryan Reynolds Aviation gin being the biggest success stories. Beverage giant Diageo Plc bought both brands for an estimated $1.6bn, according to Bloomberg.
Beyoncé’s SirDavis whiskey will launch in September in the US, London, Paris, and Tokyo.
