Is Jay-Z looking to go head to head with liquor brands like Hennessy and Remy Martin? Perhaps. The iconic rapper is helping to bring D’ussé — a VSOP cognac made by Barcadi — to market later this year.

The iconic hip-hop mogul made an appearance at a launch event for D’usse this past Wednesday (May 11) at The Standard Hotel in New York City’s trendy Meatpacking District. According to The Wall Street Journal, he swigged on the cognac in the V.I.P. section while watching game five of the New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat playoff series. Keeping him company were other celebs like Jake Gyllenhaal, Solange Knowles and Pharrell Williams, among others.

While Jay was too walled off at the event to offer his thoughts on the cognac, Christine Molle, who works at Bacardi and helped create D’ussé, did. “A lot of cognacs have been around for hundreds of years,” she said. “This is a new take on it. Jay-Z is known to be a cognac drinker.”

While that might be true, this is the first time the rapper has publicly endorsed a cognac. In 2002, his label Roc-A-Fella Records bought the U.S. distribution rights for Armadale, an 80-proof Scottish vodka. And in 2006, after Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of Louis Roederer, which makes Cristal, made comments deriding the hip-hop community for adopting its champagne as its luxury drink of choice, Jay threw his support behind Armand de Brignac, commonly referred to as Ace of Spades.

D’ussé will officially launch next month and will be available nationwide in September. A 750mL bottle will set you back roughly $45, though there will be other sizes available.

Watch Jay-Z and Kanye West, ‘Otis’ Video

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