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

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.

Food Dive