The Au Vodka Sazerac takeover is set to hand the Swansea-based spirit brand a valuation of around £500 million, with Sazerac announcing on Monday that it has struck a binding agreement to acquire the gold-bottled vodka label. The deal is still subject to regulatory conditions but is expected to complete within weeks, the US firm said.
Au Vodka was co-founded in 2015 by Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn. Morgan became a household name in 2013 when he was kicked by Eden Hazard during a League Cup semi-final, while working as a ballboy for Swansea City. The brand later expanded with backing from DJ Charlie Sloth.
From Swansea to a £500m deal
Sky News reported that Morgan and Quinn are each expected to net around £100 million from the transaction. Sazerac said the acquisition will deepen its presence in the UK market.
The brand has grown quickly on the back of a strong social media presence and celebrity endorsements, including from Floyd Mayweather. According to its latest company accounts, turnover rose by 27.3% to £82.8 million in the year to April 2025. The same accounts show a £5 million pre-tax profit. More than 80 people are employed by the company.
Au Vodka is perhaps best known for its distinctively coloured gold bottles. According to The Spirits Business, the range includes a flagship vodka alongside 11 flavoured varieties, among them Black Grape, Green Watermelon, Miami Mango, and Bubblegum. That breadth of flavours has helped the brand stand out in a crowded market and attract a younger consumer base in particular.
Au Vodka’s rise as the UK’s top RTD brand
Beyond bottled vodka, Au Vodka has made a push into canned cocktails, a category known in the drinks industry as RTD, or ready-to-drink. The results have been considerable. According to The Spirits Business, UK off-trade sales of the brand’s canned cocktails reached £61 million in 2025, up 36.9% year on year, making Au Vodka the number one RTD brand in the UK by that measure. Off-trade refers to retail sales through shops and supermarkets, as opposed to pubs and bars.
In terms of where the brand is stocked, Au Vodka Sazerac’s target market extends well beyond specialist retailers. Yahoo Finance reports that big-box retailers including Asda and Tesco stock the brand in the UK. The company also launched in the United States in 2022, and is available to buy direct from its website in several European countries, including the Netherlands and Germany.
Sazerac also makes the pre-mixed cocktail brand BuzzBallz. The company said the Au Vodka deal will help it build a stronger footing in the UK spirits market.
The agreement marks a substantial exit for a brand that began in Swansea just over a decade ago. Morgan and Quinn built Au Vodka from a standing start, and the business grew rapidly without any major corporate backing in its early years. The celebrity association with Floyd Mayweather and the brand’s heavily visual social media strategy helped it punch well above its weight in terms of recognition.
With the Au Vodka Sazerac deal now binding, attention turns to regulatory clearance. The US firm has said it expects that process to conclude within weeks, at which point the transaction would formally close and Au Vodka would become part of one of the larger spirits groups operating in the market today.
