Rick Astley has become a co-owner of the Dorset-based vodka label Black Cow. The brand was launched in 2012 by fifth-generation dairy farmer Jason Barber together with Paul and Helen Archard.
Black Cow produces its flagship spirit from surplus milk generated during cheese making. The vodka is distilled at Childhay Manor near Beaminster and reaches consumers through outlets such as Sainsbury’s, Ocado and the Majestic chain.
Helen Archard said, “If Black Cow could choose to be any person, it would have to be Rick. He’s Mr Feel Good, and that’s exactly what we want Black Cow to be.”
Astley had discovered Black Cow whilst touring, with the tipple becoming his “favourite vodka” to enjoy before a show, the brand said. Subsequently, Astley had sent the brand some musical sketches he had written for the brand, prompting Black Cow to invite him to see where the product was made.
“We were really inspired,” said Archard. “It felt like the start of a real creative friendship, so we invited Rick down to Dorset.”
Astley added: “There is something magical about the anticipation just before you step onto the stage. The stories, the laughter and a very special bond with the people around me. A ritual to bring us all into the moment of now. And that demands a special tipple, something worthy of the occasion. For me, it’s Black Cow.”
To announce the deal, the label released a series of short films starring Astley and Dexi, a black cow from Dorset. The first film, directed by Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated director Jake Scott, features Astley duetting with Dexi in a barn before sipping on a martini made with Black Cow vodka.
In the three-part series, Astley duets with Dexi inside a barn before sipping a martini made with the vodka, aiming to “paint a picture of Dorset, where land and sea are rich with invention, food, drink and inspiration,” the company said.
Astley is not the only celebrity to assume part-ownership of a vodka brand in recent years. In 2023, comedian Ricky Gervais became co-owner of Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka, after taking a stake in Ellers Farm Distillery.
