“A muddy field …? Heavy grain.” I found myself facing Chris, an up-and-coming bourbon YouTuber who was sharing his notes after carefully savoring a whiff of Beyoncé’s latest creation, SirDavis American Whisky. Of course, he had no idea that I had orchestrated a blind tasting with a group of local liquor enthusiasts as my initial attempt to fairly evaluate whether Beyoncé’s new offering was worth its $89 price tag.

We were gathered in the basement of a suburban split-level in northern Virginia, miles away from the trendy bars and clubs where this bottle was clearly designed to shine. However, I was curious to hear the thoughts of fellow whiskey aficionados—the kind of people who would rise at dawn to line up outside a liquor store for a rare release—about this product. This setting felt like the ideal backdrop.

After taking a displeased sip, Chris offered some tepid praise. It was certainly an improvement over the glass he had just tasted moments earlier, he remarked, “because at least it had flavors.” That earlier unfortunate sip? It had come from Bob Dylan’s distillery, Heaven’s Door.

Even amidst a plethora of celebrity-branded spirits, the introduction of SirDavis has captured significant media attention: Major outlets like CNN highlighted the sensational announcement in August that the artist, who once famously declared “Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor,” would now be entering the spirits market. This month’s GQ cover showcases Beyoncé holding a whiskey glass along with an email interview where she elaborates on her new venture. While concrete sales figures remain elusive, shortly after SirDavis hit the shelves, several local liquor store owners around Washington, D.C.—where I reside—reported difficulty keeping it in stock. Those who managed to acquire the whisky found themselves with very limited cases, often selling out quickly with customers calling ahead or marking up the price significantly. Total Wine in nearby Maryland even required customers to purchase the whisky in-store rather than online, a usual indicator of high demand.

Discovering that a local establishment still had a bottle available for just $100 was surprising. An employee informed me over the phone that they would only hold it for an hour.

This situation is not particularly unusual in the hype-centric world of American whiskey, where even a moderately rare bottle can draw crowds of bourbon enthusiasts and vanish within hours or even minutes of being stocked. However, it is quite rare for a celebrity whiskey, of which there are many, to spark such excitement. Store owners mentioned that the individuals clearing SirDavis from the shelves were primarily fans of Beyoncé rather than the typical whiskey connoisseurs. The whiskey enthusiasts, in turn, seem to approach this project with a blend of curiosity and skepticism. When I finally revealed to Chris what he had been tasting, he chuckled and gave a mock-serious verdict: “Beyoncé did no wrong. Her people did her wrong.” I had a guess about what he was implying.

For decades, liquor companies have enlisted actors and musicians to promote their products. (Fun fact: Sean Connery, known for his vodka martinis, endorsed Jim Beam bourbon in the ’60s.) Recently, however, there has been a surge in alcohol brands where the stars are directly involved—usually as founders or investors, sometimes through profitable partnerships. There are currently over 150 celebrity-backed spirits on the market, according to industry expert and blogger Andre de Almeida. The Rock encourages you to celebrate with his tequila. Metallica is infusing bourbon barrels with the power of their heavy metal sound. (In theory, the vibrations assist in the aging process.) Blake Lively might not drink, but her cocktails are available in a can.

This phenomenon is not confined to the beverage industry—celebrity wellness and fashion brands are also on the rise. Nonetheless, in the spirits arena, the excitement has been significantly driven by a few monumental business successes: Sean Combs brought Ciroc vodka to prominence for liquor giant Diageo, which would later invest $1 billion to acquire George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila in 2017. Just three years later, they followed up with a $600 million purchase of Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation gin. In 2021, UFC fighter Conor McGregor sold his Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey to Proximo Spirits for another $600 million.

Some famous individuals may not be as involved in their business ventures as the marketing suggests. “Often, the level of ownership remains undisclosed, making it challenging to determine the extent of the partnership,” Roland Hunter, the lead for spirits industry strategy and innovation at Clarkston Consulting, shared. However, it’s evident that celebrity association effectively boosts sales. Celebrity-endorsed brands of gin, tequila, and rum have all outpaced their respective product categories in growth rate over the past few years, according to consulting firm IWSR; Union, a point-of-sale solution for bars, discovered that these brands achieve a 73 percent higher average price per drink.

Jay-Z, Beyoncé’s spouse, has joined this booming trend with his investments in D’Ussé cognac and Armand de Brignac Champagne, commonly recognized as Ace of Spades. In 2021, he sold half of this latter venture to Moët Hennessy, which is now the corporate associate of SirDavis.

While it remains uncertain what Beyoncé’s exact financial involvement is in her newly launched brand, it has been marketed as a project born from personal passion. SirDavis pays tribute to her grandfather, who was a moonshiner, and this branding coincides with her recent country music album Cowboy Carter (both the album artwork and the whiskey bottle showcase a horse). The marketing campaign has highlighted her love for premium Japanese whiskies, and Moët Hennessy enlisted Bill Lumsden, a veteran distiller from Scotch producers Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, to create a whiskey that aligns with her taste.

On paper, the final product presents an intriguing blend of U.S. and international whiskey styles that resonate with a global superstar whose fanbase stretches from Texas to Tokyo. (It has already won accolades in blind tasting competitions.) SirDavis is classified as a rye whiskey, a distinctly American spirit. However, a notably high 49 percent of the grains used in its distillation comprises malted barley, a fundamental element in Scotch and Japanese whiskies. After initial aging, the whiskey blend is finished in former sherry casks, a practice that Scotch-makers have traditionally employed to enhance and mellow their whiskies, which American distillers have only recently begun to adopt. (SirDavis is being promoted as an American whisky, omitting the e, in alignment with European conventions to emphasize its global character.)

American whiskey has yet to witness a celebrity brand capture the phenomenal success seen with Casamigos or Aviation. Beyoncé possesses the charisma to attract a broader and more diverse audience to a market where the most recognized names and consumers predominantly tend to be male and white. This shift would be acknowledged as a positive development by many within the industry from both a commercial and cultural standpoint.

However, what’s inside the bottle, along with the $89 price point, has raised concerns among some whiskey enthusiasts. SirDavis’ fine print reveals that it is distilled in Indiana, indicating that the whiskey was likely sourced from MGP—a major contract producer known for supplying numerous bottlers throughout the industry. Although Moët Hennessy has not confirmed this collaboration, MGP has previously sold a recipe containing 51 percent rye and 49 percent malt to several craft whiskey makers, including Smoke Wagon from Nevada. Additionally, the whiskey seems to be relatively young, as Moët Hennessy has only confirmed it is aged for a minimum of two years. When I attempted to get more precise information from a publicist for the brand, they ceased responding.

In the case of a comparable bottle—contract-distilled, aged under four years, and finished in a dessert cask such as sherry—Scott Schiller, executive director of the consulting firm Thoroughbred Spirits Group, estimates it would typically be priced around $40 without Beyoncé’s name attached.

Beyoncé’s entrance into the whiskey market could significantly benefit the American whiskey sector as a whole, potentially introducing new and varied drinkers to the category, Schiller noted. However, he added, “being nitpicky, I believe the brand of SirDavis holds more appeal than the actual liquid it contains.”

Nevertheless, the specifications of a whiskey can only provide limited insight: the true measure lies in the tasting experience. Acknowledging that palates vary widely, I embarked on an exploration of SirDavis through two blind tastings—one comprised of devoted whiskey enthusiasts and the other featuring current and former staffers from Slate, representing a more average drinking crowd. To maintain consistency, I decided to compare SirDavis with two other rye whiskeys that had undergone finishing in sherry barrels, which are relatively rare to find in the market.

One of the contenders is from Dylan’s Heaven’s Door, a well-regarded celebrity-owned whiskey brand in the U.S. Their offering, “Refuge,” which I acquired for approximately $65, is a 6-year-old rye whiskey made entirely from rye sourced from Canada, finishing its maturation process in Amontillado sherry casks. In typical circumstances, only the most out-of-touch critic might ponder comparing the artistry of Robert Zimmerman to that of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, yet the world of spirits provided me with a perfect occasion to do so.

Upon opening both bottles at home, I was taken aback by the distinct aromas. SirDavis welcomed me with a pleasantly funky grain scent reminiscent of other young, malt-forward whiskeys; at times, this intriguing aroma strikes me as sophisticated, akin to pu-erh tea. Conversely, it can evoke the memory of a damp log. In tandem, there were sweet fruit notes from the sherry that balanced things out nicely. The flavor mirrored this complexity: a raw assortment of grain presented beautifully with a smooth sherry finish. On the Pitchfork scale, my rating would be around 6.8.

The experience with Heaven’s Door was more ambiguous. As I nosed the bottle, I detected a lovely candied scent that seemed to dissipate after it was poured into the glass. The flavor profile was almost non-existent—neither pleasing nor displeasing, but rather a warm sensation void of distinguished taste, aside from a hint of mild rye spice lingering at the end. It reminded me of a raindrop cake, those delicate clear gelatin spheres briefly popularized with syrup, challenging traditional dessert concepts. Like an antiwhiskey, it served as a contemplation of nothingness. My Pitchfork score: 3.0.

To complete the tasting lineup, I decided to feature a sherry-finished rye from the well-respected Sagamore Spirit Distillery in Baltimore, priced around $77. This whiskey undergoes four years of aging in oak barrels, followed by an additional 18 months in sherry. In my opinion, it represented the category well, providing a richer and more balanced sensory experience, with pleasant notes of citrus and raisin, all without the overwhelming hints of a grain silo. Pitchfork score: 8.1.

But how would the tasting panels respond? As we headed into blind tasting No. 1, I found myself uncertain about how the crowd would perceive the two celebrity-endorsed bottles. The tasting took place during a bottle-sharing event hosted by a local whiskey club I belong to, where many members are predominantly bourbon enthusiasts, although they enjoy a good rye as well. To keep evaluations impartial, I informed the nine participants only that they would be sampling three dessert cask-finished ryes, which they would rank based on their preferences. The identities of the bottles would only be disclosed at the end of the tasting.

The afternoon proved challenging for both Bey and Bob. Except for one participant, all tasters ranked the Sagamore as their top choice, commending it for its deeper, more refined, and dessert-like flavor profile. SirDavis finished second on five ballots but came in last on four. Some tasters, like Chris, reacted negatively to the grain notes, similar to my own experience, while others found the sweet finish overwhelming. However, a few others perceived it as pleasantly sweet and fruity; one commented on “hints of grape must,” noting the sherry’s pronounced presence. Despite these mixed reviews, no one expressed a desire to purchase it, particularly not at $89. The same sentiment applied to Heaven’s Door, which landed at the bottom for five participants, with critics disparaging its bland flavor. Interestingly, one taster defied the trend by placing it first, likening the aroma to “honeysuckle.”

When I disclosed to the group that they had been sampling Beyoncé’s whiskey, the response was largely one of amusement. This audience had already anticipated that particular bottle would be underwhelming.

However, it seemed that the audience present might not fully grasp the nuances of what Beyoncé brought to the table. Aficionados of bourbon typically favor stronger, more complex spirits that might deter more casual drinkers, often disapproving of any graininess they might detect, viewing it as a drawback. Additionally, they don’t always appreciate a smooth, clean finish, which is often sought after by average bar patrons. With a higher malt content and a relatively moderate alcohol by volume of 44 percent, SirDavis was clearly not intended for this particular crowd.

This realization made the second blind tasting—dubbed the normie challenge—even more significant. For this segment, I altered the approach slightly: I informed participants that they would be sampling whiskeys from both Beyoncé and Bob Dylan, instructing them to rank the drinks and attempt to identify which belonged to each celebrity. (Spoiler alert: they were unable to do so.)

The results favored Beyoncé, who topped three out of four ballots. Interestingly, no one seemed to notice the graininess that had deterred me, even when directly asked about it. One former colleague, who rated SirDavis as his top pick, praised its “candy aroma” and “traditional whiskey flavor and mouthfeel.” He found the Sagamore to be overly sweet. Another participant noted that SirDavis had a clean profile and a smooth finish, placing it second to the Sagamore. Conversely, the Heaven’s Door received unanimous criticism, with one individual likening it to raw White Dog whiskey and another remarking that it “starts off unpleasant, then turns sweet.” In this unique contest of celebrity-brand whiskeys, Beyoncé emerged as the clear winner.

Once again, SirDavis seemed to underperform when it came to value. Two tasters expressed a willingness to purchase a bottle after their tasting, only to reconsider when they discovered it was priced at $89. They noted they might reconsider at a lower price, around $50.

I ultimately chose to put SirDavis to the test in a real-world setting. I brought it along to my friend’s 40^th birthday celebration, held in a bustling row house in D.C., where guests were consuming everything from cans of Modelo to fine rum, and even Dom Pérignon. To my surprise, nearly everyone I approached was eager to sample Beyoncé’s whiskey, although a few seemed a bit puzzled by the idea of her selling a liquor product. As they enjoyed their drinks from red Solo cups, opinions varied: some declared it sweet, while others described it as sweet yet unpleasant. A dedicated Beyoncé fan grimaced and silently walked away before I had the chance to ask for their thoughts. However, another guest, who had initially been doubtful, exclaimed, “Ooh, that’s delicious.” But when asked if she would spend $89 on it, the answer was a clear “Nope.”

This response makes me think that Beyoncé’s new whiskey may find itself in a sort of limbo. From what I observed at the party, it appears she has crafted a product that many casual drinkers and Scotch enthusiasts might genuinely appreciate, though it may not sway the hardcore bourbon and rye aficionados. However, it’s priced like a high-end item that would mostly attract connoisseurs or those with ample expense accounts. For instance, a bottle of Casamigos retails for under $50, and Proper 12 is available for less than $25—much more accessible price points for average consumers. While Beyoncé boasts one of the most devoted fanbases in the world, it’s uncertain whether she can convince them to invest in a $90 bottle more than just once.

Some liquor store proprietors expressed to me their belief that interest would dwindle following the initial surge of excitement, primarily due to the steep price tag and some mediocre reviews that had started to emerge online. One shop owner remarked while gesturing to his inventory: “There are plenty of good whiskeys you can get for that amount.” Unfortunately, he felt this was not one of them.