Beyoncé Returns to the Houston Rodeo, Sort of, With SirDavis Whisky

In 2007, Beyoncé headlined the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo—the biggest rodeo in the world held annually in her Texas birthplace—for the second time. Her first performance had taken place five years prior alongside Destiny’s Child. But her appearance as a lone artist 18 years ago was a special one. It was early on in her solo career, and the singer knew she had to wow the crowd. So she rode in on a horse and performed a 15-song set that included “Crazy in Love,” “Déjà Vu,” and “Check on It,” for which hometown heroes Slim Thug and Bun B joined her onstage.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has built a venerable empire: the management company Parkwood Entertainment, activewear label Ivy Park, and haircare line Cécred, in addition to maintaining an award-winning music career. The mother of three’s latest venture is a whisky brand called SirDavis, named after her great-grandfather Davis Hogue, who was a farmer and a moonshiner in the American South during Prohibition. Beyoncé partnered with Moët Hennessy, of LVMH, to launch the spirit in August 2024. This year, SirDavis is an official sponsor of the Houston Rodeo, which is taking place at NRG Stadium through March 23—a true full-circle moment for the company and its founder.

In fact, “The Founder” is how employees and associates of SirDavis refer to Beyoncé—either that, or “our founder” or, in the most formal situations, “Mrs. Knowles-Carter.” These titles may lend a cult-following feel to the brand, which hosted a four-day trip for a group of editors, influencers, artists, and photographers to visit the Houston Rodeo and learn all about SirDavis. But the truth is, when it comes to whiskey (and whisky, there’s a difference: the former is made in Ireland or the U.S., while the latter is typically from Canada, Scotland, or Japan) that’s the vibe. As SirDavis’s head whisky blender and global head of advocacy, Cameron George, explained during a liquor tasting, fans of whisky are typically true nerds, and Mrs. Knowles-Carter herself falls into this category.

George met with Beyoncé to discuss details during the early stages of making SirDavis; together with Moët-Hennessy’s master distiller and head of whisky creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden, they tasted glass after glass of some of the rarest whisky blends in the world (Glenmorangie La Santa and Yamazaki 12 had flavor profiles that Beyoncé liked). They then came up with the composition of SirDavis: silky, with layers of honey-like sweetness, plus notes of clove and cinnamon that’ll make your nose tingle. The brew, which is comprised of 51 percent rye and 49 percent barley, was submitted anonymously to spirits competitions ahead of its launch—and won Best in Class for American Whisky from the 2023 SIP Awards.

Of course, SirDavis was on tap for the Houston Rodeo, which put on a marquee concert for a crowd of nearly 70,000 people on Saturday, March 8. Prior to the show—T.I., Ludacris, Jagged Edge, Coco Jones, and many more performed, while Bun B hosted in celebration of his own birthday—was the livestock portion. The rodeo puts on competitive bull riding, calf roping, and “mutton bustin’,” an event that involves children riding sheep until they slide off the back of the animal and into the dirt.

Horses—a central source of imagery during Beyoncé’s Renaissance era and a cornerstone of the Cowboy Carter look—are paraded around the pen inside the stadium, while others race around the perimeter, hitched to wagons. Houston rapper Maxo Kream drove a low-rider Cadillac into the center of the stadium, not unlike how Beyoncé rode in a car while singing “Jolene” during her “Beyoncé Bowl” halftime show on Christmas. It’s easy to see how the musician draws inspiration from her hometown—from her performances to her enticing whisky blend.