Jay-Z buys Armand de Brignac Champagne

US rapper Jay-Z has acquired Armand de Brignac Champagne from Sovereign Brands after making the company an offer it “simply couldn’t refuse”.

Jay-Z with a bottle of his favourite fizz

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has long been an advocate of the brand, produced by Champagne Cattier, stretching back to the Champagne’s launch in 2006 when bottles of it appeared in his music video for the single Show Me What You Got.

Two years ago the rapper commissioned a 350-bottle tower of Armand de Brignac to serve as the centrepiece at a fundraiser for President Obama at his 40/40 nightclub in New York.

In a statement released today by New York-based Sovereign Brands said: “We are proud to announce that Sovereign Brands, a New York-based wine & spirits company owned by the Berish family, has sold its interest in Armand de Brignac (“Ace of Spades”) Champagne brand to a new company led by the globally-renowned Shawn “JAY Z” Carter.”

The details of the deal were not disclosed with the name of Jay Z’s upcoming company yet to be announced.

Yvonne Lardner, global PR and marketing spokesperson for Sovereign Brands added: “We are extremely proud of what we built with Armand de Brignac.  In less than eight years since it was first released, the brand became a must-have item at every top nightclub in the world and scored better among wine critics than some of the world’s most famous luxury Champagne marques.  To establish an iconic, credible high-end Champagne in such a short period of time is something truly remarkable.

“We have had a wonderful relationship with Jay Z throughout the years since he first discovered Armand de Brignac.  He became interested in owning the brand and made us an offer we simply couldn’t refuse.  With the incredible things happening with the rest of our portfolio, especially the Luc Belaire line, we felt the timing was right as well.

“We’re sure that Armand de Brignac will continue to grow and thrive, and we’re looking forward to developing our current and future brands.  We are truly passionate about what we do, and we love nothing more than the challenge of spreading our vision of unique, high-quality brands that stand apart from the crowd in the ultra-competitive wine & spirits industry.”

Earlier this year the brand launched its Dynastie Collection comprising nine varying bottle sizes including a 4.5L Rehoboam, 9L Salmanazar, 12L Balthazar, 1.5L magnum, 3L Jeroboam, 6L Methuselah and 15L Nebuchadnezzar carrying a combined price tag of $500,000.

Armand de Brignac’s Dynastie Collection