Socialite Julie Macklowe: I’d ‘Like to Think’ Beyoncé’s Rye Whiskey Was Inspired by Mine
Wealthy socialite, Julie Macklowe, expressed in an interview she’d like to think that Beyoncé’s rye whiskey was inspired by her own. (Photo: Julie Macklowe/Instagram)
Wealthy socialite and whiskey brand owner, Julie Macklowe, made a bold claim Monday interview with Forbes that she’d like to think her eponymous whiskey brand inspired Beyoncé’s “SirDavis” whiskey.
“I’d like to think that Beyoncé was inspired by my product,” Macklowe told Forbes. “It’s great to see someone else break the mold and it will shine a huge spotlight on this market.”
Macklowe recently unveiled The Macklowe Silver Edition, a rye whiskey from Kentucky that hosts no age statement with a suggested retail price of $99 a bottle. The rye whiskey was finished in ex-American single malt barrels, according to Forbes.
It seems unlikely the “Cowboy Carter” singer would be inspired by Macklowe, much less know who she is, yet the brands do have certain similarities — though SirDavis is slightly cheaper and appears to be more favorably reviewed.
Both rye whiskeys are helmed by well-respected titans within the scotch whisky industry. SirDavis is headed up by none other than the Einstein of Scotch Whisky, Dr. Bill Lumsden. Lumsden is known for his contributions to brands like The Glenmorangie.
The Macklowe is distilled by Master Blender Brendan McCarron, who is most notably known for his contributions at Deanston and LeDaig. Yet, the similarities stop there.
SirDavis is helmed by the 32-time Grammy Award winner who was inspired by her great-grandfather’s humble roots as a “moonshine man.” Beyoncé released the groundbreaking country album, “Cowboy Carter,” in March, after facing a lot of backlash breaking into the country music scene as a Black woman.
Macklowe is a former hedge fund manager and a socialite who married into the wealthy Macklowe family and worked for 12 years on Wall Street before she launched The Macklowe American Single Malt, a release that hosts an eye-watering price tag of $1,500. It was drawn from just one single cask, and less than 250 bottles were produced, according to Gear Patrol.
“We want it to be the Ferrari of single malts,” Macklowe expressed.
But did it live up to the hype?
Gear Patrol described it as “at best, just an okay whiskey. After seven years in new charred oak, it’s a predictable wood bomb: tannic and bitter.”
In a world where the gap between the haves and have-nots is consistently widening, an American single malt boasting a price tag of $1,500 unquestionably would be on the receiving a bit of scrutiny — especially without any pre-existing pedigree.
Yet, Macklowe is a woman paving her own way in the whiskey world, regardless of her privileged background, and she does deserve credit where credit is due. As far as her latest rye release, it appears there is little information about the whiskey and whether or not the juice inside is good.
Macklowe did divulge that the idea for the juice inside’s distinctive finish came to her in an unexpected place.
“It was a great idea that I came up with in the shower,” she said, according to Forbes. “I ran it by Brendan McCarron and he loved it. Our view is that everything should tie back to our core product.”
More information on the reception of Macklowe’s rye should begin to trickle in as it rolls out in shops later in the month. Yet it appears Beyoncé’s whiskey is taking headlines by storm.
The heavily hyped SirDavis brand appears to have a few fans on Reddit’s R/whiskey forum.
“I got to try it last week. It’s good juice,” a user named daleejrr posted.
SirDavis is produced by MGP in Indiana and bottled in Texas.
“It’s good,” another user wrote. “I don’t think it’s worth the $85 price point but for a one time purchase or a gift it’s worth it. Very smooth, only 88 proof so not much heat. My wife enjoyed it and she rarely enjoys any of my whiskey.”
SirDavis anonymously submitted its whiskey to spirits competitions before it launched, and it won Best In Class for American Whiskey from the 2023 SIP awards and beat out over 100 whiskeys within the category. It additionally earned a Gold Medal from 2023’s New York International Spirits Competition and 93 points from the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.
SirDavis is rolling out in stores this month and will be available in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Texas ,and Washington D.C.
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