Bacardi buys majority of Jay-Z’s cognac brand, ending legal battle

By: Trademagazin editor Date: 2023. 02. 09. 09:37

Bacardi resolved a legal battle with entertainer and businessman Jay-Z by buying a majority of his stake in D’Ussé, the super-premium cognac brand he developed with the alcoholic beverage maker.

Bacardi now owns at least 75.01% of the brand, Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, retains a “significant ownership stake.”

D’Ussé is a multi-billion dollar brand, according to a release announcing the deal. It has received several awards at spirits competitions, and has outpaced cognac category growth in the last three years at a compound annual growth rate of more than 30%, according to 2021 IWSR data cited by Bacardi.

This marks the second alcoholic beverage brand Jay-Z has developed and sold a large portion of his share. In 2021, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton bought a 50% stake in the entertainer’s Armand de Brignac Champagne.

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