John Rich of Big & Rich celebrated his 43rd birthday (Jan. 7) a day early, with a Saturday night party at his house introducing the launch of his new Redneck Riviera whiskey. When discussing the creation of the liquor to his guests, Rich admitted that before he could put his stamp on the drink, he had to run it by someone very important first: His grandma.

“I had to run this by the greatest whiskey drinker that I personally know,” Rich explained, in a video captured by Nashville Noise. “Someone who drank whiskey decades longer than I have; someone I trust implicitly. I trust her taste and her opinion probably more than any other human being on the face of the earth: My Granny Rich.”

As Rich explained, his granny will be 86 in February, and she’s one tough/self-reliant lady. She still holds down a 40-hour-a-week job, lives alone without assistance, and “has been a whiskey sipper since she said she was 14 years old.”

Rich hilariously related bringing the whiskey to his grandma’s shop for her to have a taste, cautioning her that it was only 10:30AM, perhaps a bit early for alcohol. “She said ‘That’s never stopped me before,'” he grinned.

Granny Rich ended up telling her grandson that the whiskey was a lot smoother than any other that she’d ever had, and apparently even had a little more…or perhaps a lot more. “Well, John Daniel, I done think you rung the bell,” was her final judgement.

So, all whiskey drinkers heed: If it’s good enough for Granny Rich, it’s got to be some pretty good stuff overall!

Rich also pointed out that the whiskey is a strongly American product. Made in Portland and soon to be made more widely available, even the liquor’s bottle is made in the USA.

The artist created his Redneck Riviera brand in 2014, dubbing it America’s “work hard, play hard” brand celebrating the everyman. It includes bars in Nashville and Las Veags, as well footwear, apparel, hospitality and licensed products.