Happy Wednesday fellow enthusiasts! It’s your resident brown spirits scribe Brad Japhe, here with our Thursday gathering of the Top Shelf Society one day early to report on a notable newcomer.

Yes, it’s another celebrity-backed brand, an occurrence so commonplace these days that it hardly even registers as news. But this ain’t just any ol’ A-lister. And while we’re on the subject, this ain’t no hold ’em, either.

This is Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, one of the biggest entertainers on the planet with an estimated net worth of nearly $1 billion.

This week the 32-time Grammy Award winner announced that she’d partnered with Moët Hennessy on SirDavis to bring out a unique take on American rye. The name comes from Beyoncé’s paternal great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, a Prohibition-era moonshiner.
 

An $89 bottle features ribbed glass with a bronze horse-embossed black medallion as its logo. It hits US shelves in September as a first-of-its-kind joint venture between the artist and LVMH, the world’s largest luxury conglomerate.

Plenty of proverbial ink will be spilled detailing the business aspect of that arrangement. But I write about whisky for a living. So, first and foremost, I want to tell you it’s the quality of the dram that captures my attention. After scoring an advanced sample of SirDavis, I can say this juice (or lemonade, if you like) is worth the squeeze on your wallet.

What SirDavis gets right about whisky

Spirit geeks shouldn’t be at all surprised by how good it is. Beyoncé has professed a penchant for ultra-luxe whisky for years. Back in 2016 she was singing about scoring “Yamazaki straight from Tokyo.” When it came time to bottle her own, she tapped Dr. Bill Lumsden, an industry legend who serves as head of distilling for LVMH-owned Scotch brands Ardbeg and Glenmorangie.

Together the dynamic duo searched for a flavor profile echoing the elegance of Japanese single malt alongside the dark-fruit tonalities of sherried scotch.
 

The surprising part is that they discovered it in neither Scotland nor Japan. SirDavis is a verifiable American rye, distilled from a very unusual mash bill of 51% rye and 49% malted barley. Typically, entries from the category rock a higher percentage of rye, while also holding some measure of corn as a secondary ingredient.

“SirDavis is a modern American whiskey unlike anything else in the category, and that’s by design,” Lumsden tells Top Shelf. “After working through a number of recipes together, Mrs. Knowles-Carter and I selected a bespoke mash bill of pre-Prohibition-style rye and malted barley. Guided by her vision for the final flavor profile, we experimented with several finishes before we landed on her favorite: a whiskey finished in Pedro Ximénez casks from Spain.”
 

The resulting whiskey does indeed read like a hybrid of scotch and rye. It noses mainly like the former, specifically delivering orchard fruit aromas reminiscent of Highland malts. On the palate, a tickle of dill pickle resolves in a minty finish. If I had to pick sides, though, I’d say this 44% ABV tipple is actually better suited to single malt sippers than rye buffs.

Nevertheless, it leans into Beyoncé’s Southern heritage, as the product is finished, blended and bottled in her home state of Texas. SirDavis will also be headquartered in Houston, with the potential aim of building out a dedicated distillery there. For now, the liquid is sourced from MGP in Indiana and aged for around seven years. (Similar stock made its way into this release from Barrell Craft Spirits back in 2017.)

Given the unprecedented star power involved, Moët Hennessy obviously has pretty high expectations. “SirDavis will set new benchmarks for excellence and craftsmanship in the global spirits industry,” promises Jonas Tahlin, president of spirits brands for the conglomerate.

Or, to put it in the markedly less market-y speak of Beyoncé: “I always keep the top tier, five star.”

Celebrity whiskeys I have known and loved

Whiskey geeks tend to roll their eyes at anything touted by a familiar face. And they have good reason to be dubious: The landscape is littered with actors, athletes and singers pushing products they either know nothing about and sometimes haven’t even bothered to sample.

A 2022 UK study listed Drake’s Virginia Black as the worst value among celebrity-backed spirits, when comparing the cost against its online ratings from users. (Idris Elba’s rosé was named best; make of that what you will.)David Beckham ended his nine-year partnership with Haig Club after the facile single grain scotch failed to find traction in American markets. Alan Jackson’s cloyingly sweet Silverbelly Bourbon is a flat-out flop.

But I digress. I’m here to talk tipples up, not knock them down. And in service of that, here are three relatively recent celebrity whiskies that I find delicious, regardless of (or despite?) how handsome or funny or good at throwing a football their respective backers might be.
 

Brother’s Bond American Blended Rye Whiskey

Just last month I wrote about the virtues of bourbon-rye blends. This is superior example, splitting the difference between herbal spices and sweet cinnamon and molasses. It’s the latest entry from the successful American whiskey brand founded by former Vampire Diaries co-stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley.
 

Sweetens Cove Tennessee Blended Straight Bourbon

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning helped launch this brand back in 2020, a year before being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Special releases have been sparse ever since, but this limited edition remains available today. It offers a complex collision of dark fruit and cardamom spice, brought together through the careful blending of 4-, 6- and 16-year old Tennessee bourbons.
 

Lagavulin 11 Offerman Edition: Caribbean Rum Cask Finish

On the hit comedy Parks and Recreation, the ever-deadpanning Ron Swanson would only let emotion pour out when professing love for Lagavulin scotch. It wasn’t an act, after all. The acclaimed comedian behind the character, Nick Offerman, adores the illustrious Islay single malt. So, a decade ago they entered into a partnership, where he would work with the brand to develop maturation techniques and packaging details for special releases. The latest example is an 11-year-old liquid finished for a little over 8 months in old Caribbean rum barrels. It effortlessly melds sweet and peat; toffee and butterscotch come off the nose, salty seaweed submerge the palate.