While A$AP Rocky has made plenty of headlines this year already thanks to his appearance at Milan Fashion week, a dope collaboration with Tyler, The Creator on NIGO’s recent project, and of course, the wonderful pregnancy announcement with Rihanna. In the midst of all that, he has also been quietly working on his latest venture: Mercer + Prince, a Canadian whisky developed in partnership with Global Brand Equities and E. & J. Gallo.
“I’m so excited and grateful to finally introduce Mercer + Prince to the world,” founder Rocky said in an official statement. “I have been learning about whisky from all over the world for the past decade and wanted to defy the rules to create something unique, while honoring and respecting industry traditions.”
As a proud New York City native, Rocky’s new whiskey has a flavor profile with hints of vanilla, caramel, and baked apple. It has been aged for over four years in American white oak barrels and blended in Canada. Mercer + Prince is also infused with Japanese Mizunara oak.
“We set out on a mission where we tasted a range of different liquids. We had Rocky taste between 40 and 50 different liquids from all different categories, all within the whiskey category, but from different origins and countries. The primary objective of those blind tastings was to land on his favorite taste profile,” James Morrissey, Founder & CEO of Global Brand Equities, told The Hollywood Reporter. “We put our trust in him as a tastemaker.”
As expected from the fashion savant, even the bottle is unique. “He was kind of nervous to show me what he had in mind because it was so obscure, so different,” Morrissey said. “The product almost looks like an elevated art piece. It’s designed to elevate your bar cart.”
Since its launch last week, Mercer + Prince is exclusively available online for $29.99, and will remain that way for the coming months.