Many of us in the industry asked ourselves the same question when we heard rumblings about the SirDavis whiskey project: Beyoncé likes whiskey?

Apparently, not only is Beyoncé a Japanese whisky connoisseur, her family also has a historical tie to moonshining in Alabama. SirDavis is named for Beyoncé’s great-grandfather, who according to family lore was quite skilled at distilling.

How do you tie a love of delicate Japanese blending together with American whiskey history? You team up with one of the best blenders in the world to help you. Beyoncé, together with Ardbeg and Glenmorangie legend Bill Lumsden, created an American whiskey with the finish and grace of a Japanese whisky.

Here’s how they did it:

Using MGP Indiana-distilled rye whiskey with a heavy malted barley component, the resulting blend of barrels is finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry butts for an exquisitely smooth finish. The mash bill of SirDavis comes in at 51% rye and 49% malted barley, combining the two preferred grains of American and Japanese distillation history.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of SirDavis, however, is that it’s a distinctly American rye whiskey that should please a far wider drinking demographic with its intricate flavor and easy-drinking character. The sweetness of the Sherry rounds out the palate without masking the inherent flavors of the grains. Beyoncé knows she can’t rely simply on whiskey geeks to make SirDavis a success: she needed a whiskey the whole world could enjoy.

And we think she’s very much accomplished that here.