Cameron George on blending whiskey for Beyoncé
The longtime Ardbeg brand ambassador discusses his new role as head blender for SirDavis, the straight rye whiskey brand led by Beyoncé.
*This feature was originally published in the October 2024 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.
What have the past few weeks been like since SirDavis launched?
It’s incredible to see how this brand has been digested by the world with positive feedback and energy. Knowing that we’ve made something so impactful for so many people as an invitation into whiskey, which is a space I’m incredibly passionate about, has made me really joyous.
What role did you play in the project?
I worked with, and for Dr Bill Lumsden as another set of hands, eyes, ears and palate on the liquid, which is ultimately led by Mrs Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, as this is meant to be a reflection of her. And I fine-tuned the brand tone of voice from a connoisseur’s perspective. I was pretty influential in building how the brand would speak about itself.
As a music lover, what does this mean to you?
It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever got to be a part of, without a doubt. To get to work on a project of this magnitude, and with this many direct ties to probably my most indulged-in art form, to get to play in this space where I see so many synergies between these two forms of artistic expression, has been incredible.
What has the transition been like moving from ambassador to blender?
As an ambassador, education is the name of the game, and that’s one of the things I really honed over the past five to six years – investing into my own education so that I could have credibility as far as how whisky works from a production standpoint, not only from a consumer-interfacing standpoint. I found that if you know the product and its route to inception like the back of your hand, it makes you a more effective communicator. The Glenmorangie and Ardbeg maison was an incredible partner for me. They allowed me to work on some special projects and pitch ideas: Ardbeg Wee Beastie – I got to have a small hand in blending and creating that whisky. So I had already worked with Dr Bill, and was a known entity for him, which is why there was a level of comfort.
How did you find working with American whiskey?
I started as a big American whiskey fan. The first distilleries that I ever visited were places like Wild Turkey, Jack Daniel’s, Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace. I had an established knowledge and understanding of American whiskeys fairly early on, but I also had an affinity for Scotland, because it was the first country outside of the US that I ever visited.
So this project is interesting to me, to reincorporate into the American whiskey space through SirDavis, because we’re taking some nods from Scotch and Japanese whisky in ways that are not typical of the American whiskey space. So to get to be a challenger brand, but also be rooted in the history of American whiskey at the same time, is a really niche intersection for me.
What does it mean for you to begin this chapter with SirDavis and at the same time end one with Ardbeg?
I don’t know if I’ve been able to digest everything so far because it’s been moving so fast. There’s a number of years of blood, sweat, equity, tears, long nights, miles on aeroplanes, nights spent in hotels. So I don’t know if I’ve been able to fully digest the level of impact and gravity of this. But at the same time, I will always love Ardbeg. You can take the boy out of the peat, but you can’t take the peat out of the boy. It was so Ardbeg to hire this young Black kid. Traditionally, you wouldn’t see whisky reflected in that way. And so we were a little ahead of the time. That brand fully embraced me, and I fully embrace that brand. And because of it, it’ll always be a part of me. Those memories, the flavour profiles, all of it means a lot to me.
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