Blue steel, Scotty style: McCreery covers ‘Cigar & Spirits’

If you still think of Scotty McCreery as the teen who won American Idol in 2011, the new cover of Cigar & Spirits may just change all that. 

McCreery casts a steely gaze in a dark suit and tie for the summer 2025 issue of the lifestyle magazine, along with an article titled “Country Music Star Scotty McCreery Goes Deep” and an “exclusive bonus pictorial.”

Meanwhile, his hit with Hootie & the Blowfish, “Bottle Rockets,” has made it into the top 10 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in only a dozen weeks. It’s the band’s first country top 10, following nine solo number ones for lead singer Darius Rucker.