Bacardi buys majority stake in D’Usse – The Spirits Business

Grey Goose owner Bacardi has acquired a majority stake in D’Usse Cognac as part of a long-term agreement with rapper Jay Z.

American musician Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, partnered with Bacardi to launch the D’Ussé brand in 2012.

Bacardi and Jay-Z have been in a legal dispute over the value of the brand in recent months.

Bacardi has now come to a ‘long-term’ agreement with the singer to take majority control of the ‘multi-billion-dollar’ brand. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Jay-Z will retain a ‘significant ownership stake’ in D’Ussé.

According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis data in 2021, D’Ussé is the best-performing Cognac brand, outpacing the category in the US with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 30% in the past three years.

“Growing D’Ussé over the past decade from an idea to one of the fastest-selling spirits in history has been a blessing,” said Jay-Z.

“The next phase of this journey will further cement D’Ussé’s legacy as one of the world’s most respected brands. I am excited to renew this partnership with Bacardi.”

The D’Ussé Cognac range consists of VSOP and XO variants.

The brand was created to shake up a sector that had become “a bit dusty” under the domination of Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Martell and Courvoisier.

In 2021, Jay-Z offered a ‘one-of-a-kind’ signed 1969 bottle of D’Ussé Cognac at a Sotheby’s auction, which was created to mark his 50^th birthday.

It fetched US$52,500, marking the first time that a bottle of D’Ussé has been sold at auction.