DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 29 July 2026

Beyoncé Takes Sole Ownership of SirDavis American Whisky

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has taken full ownership of SirDavis American Whisky, the brand she co-founded with Moët Hennessy in 2024. Financial terms were not disclosed. The whisky was Moët Hennessy's first spirit brand built from scratch in the US, named after Beyoncé's paternal great-grandfather, a farmer and moonshiner in the American South during Prohibition. Dr Bill Lumsden, director of whisky creation at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, designed the liquid alongside head blender Cameron George and Beyoncé herself. Bottled at 44% ABV with a mash bill of 51% rye and 49% malted barley, SirDavis is produced by MGP Ingredients and finished, blended, and bottled in Texas. It retails at US$89 (approximately £79 in the UK).

Murray's take: When Moët Hennessy launched a whisky brand with a pop star, the industry raised an eyebrow. Two years later, Beyoncé owns it outright. That tells you the brand met its commercial targets and LVMH decided to exit cleanly rather than maintain a partnership. The liquid is genuine — Lumsden designed it, MGP distilled it, and the 51% rye mash bill gives it a spice backbone that separates it from celebrity vanity projects. The question now is whether SirDavis scales without Moët Hennessy's distribution muscle behind it.

---

US Tariffs on Scotch Whisky Lifted

The United States has removed tariffs on Scotch whisky, ending a trade dispute that had imposed a 25% levy on single malt exports since 2019. The tariff removal was welcomed by MPs and industry figures across Scotland. An MP for West Lothian called the move a boost for jobs and investment in the region. However, a Scotch distiller cautioned that "the benefits won't happen overnight," noting that rebuilding US market share after years of disrupted trade will take time. The Spirits Business and Drinks Retailing both confirmed the tariff lift. The Scotch Whisky Association had long campaigned for the removal, arguing the tariffs cost the industry hundreds of millions in lost exports.

Murray's take: This is the biggest policy story for Scotch in years, and the "won't happen overnight" line is the honest one. Distilleries lost US shelf space to Irish and American whiskey during the tariff years, and buyers don't switch back because a tax line moved. The rebuild takes distributor conversations, retail reset money, and patience. But the removal is unambiguously good — the 25% levy was a tax on Scottish distilleries for a dispute about steel and aluminium that had nothing to do with whisky. The distilleries that will benefit first are the ones with existing US distribution relationships that survived the tariff years.

---

Glenfarclas 190 Marks 190 Years with Five-Decade Vatting

Glenfarclas Distillery has released Glenfarclas 190, the final bottling in its Anniversary Trilogy, marking 190 years of distilling in Speyside since 1836. The expression marries 78 casks spanning five decades of production, bottled at 51.4% ABV — a figure that equates to 90 British proof, the measurement system used at the distillery for its first 154 years. Just 15,000 700ml bottles will be available from August 2026 at an RRP of £95 (US$126). The whisky is non-chill filtered with no added colouring. Distillery manager Callum Fraser described flavours of green apples, sherry sweetness, spicy Christmas cake, and a long finish with dark chocolate and fresh tobacco. He said the team pulled fruitier notes from 1970s casks, rich sherried flavours from the 1980s and 1990s, and toffee caramel from casks laid down in the 2000s. Chairman John Grant OBE, whose family has owned the distillery for six generations, called it a proud moment. Glenfarclas is one of the few Scottish distilleries still using direct-fired stills and matures almost exclusively in sherry casks.

Murray's take: £95 for a 190th anniversary bottling that spans five decades is remarkably restrained pricing. Glenfarclas could have charged triple and collectors would have bought it. The 78-cask vatting across decades is a genuine craft exercise — this isn't a marketing label, it's a composition built from living inventory. The 90 British proof nod is a nice touch, connecting the ABV to the distillery's own history rather than picking an arbitrary number. Glenfarclas remains family-owned, direct-fired, and sherry-cask-only. That's not heritage theatre — that's how they actually make whisky.

---

IWC 2026 World Whisky Winners: Taiwan, Australia, Austria, China

The International Whisky Competition has announced its 2026 World Whisky results, with judges scoring every entry blind across 15 criteria on a 100-point scale. Kavalan Peatist Oloroso Sherry Cask Single Cask Strength was named World Whisky of the Year with 96.97 points. The Taiwanese distillery took all three World Whisky places, with eight of its expressions in the Top 15 overall. Kavalan's head of research and development, Zerose Yang, was named Master Distiller of the Year. In Australia, Nullaki Single Malt Tawny Cask 0017 from a distillery that began distilling in 2022 took first place at 91.83 points, priced at AUS$395. Austria's winner was a single grain whisky from Destillerie Farthofer — an organic Schlägler rye aged eight years in Mostello (pear dessert wine) casks, bottled at 55% ABV, priced at €60.80. China's top prize went to Laizhou Amontillado Sherry Cask at 93.87 points and 66% ABV, matured in first-fill Amontillado sherry casks from Spain. Laizhou also took third place, with Pernod Ricard's The Chuan Pure Malt between them at 93.13 points.

Murray's take: Kavalan sweeping all three World Whisky places isn't dominance — it's a climate advantage. Taiwan's heat accelerates maturation, and Kavalan has been making whisky long enough to prove the model works at scale. The more interesting results sit lower down. Nullaki winning Best Australian Whisky from a distillery that started in 2022 tells you the Australian category is deep enough for newcomers to win on merit. The Austrian winner being a single grain rye aged in pear dessert wine casks is the kind of result that should make Scotch traditionalists uncomfortable. And China's Laizhou at 66% ABV, cask strength, first-fill Amontillado — that's a serious whisky by any measure.

---

Cutty Sark Launches Global Adventure Campaign

Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky has unveiled a new global advertising campaign titled "Follow Your Spirit of Adventure." The campaign, owned by La Martiniquaise-Bardinet, will roll out globally from August 2026 across all major brand touchpoints. The key visual features hikers climbing towards a clifftop viewpoint by the sea, with the brand's emblem — the three-masted Cutty Sark clipper — visible on the horizon. The campaign invites whisky drinkers to break from routine and seek out new adventures, leaning into the brand's maritime heritage. Cutty Sark is one of the oldest blended Scotch brands, named after the famous tea clipper launched in 1869.

Murray's take: A global campaign for a blended Scotch under La Martiniquaise-Bardinet is a signal of intent. Cutty Sark has been quiet in recent years while the whisky world focused on single malt and craft. The adventure angle is safe — it connects the clipper namesake to lifestyle aspiration without making any product claims — but safe is what you want for a global rollout across markets that don't all share the same whisky vocabulary. The question is whether the campaign is backed by enough spend to move volume. A campaign without distribution investment is a poster. A campaign with distributor reset money behind it is a growth strategy.

---

Got a tip or story we should cover? Email [email protected]