Au Vodka acquisition: Sazerac completes $405m deal

Sazerac completes its acquisition of Au Vodka, paying a reported $405 million for the Welsh-founded, gold-bottled vodka brand built on flavoured shots and social-media marketing.

The New Orleans-based spirits group confirmed the deal closed on September 14, ending a process that started with a binding agreement in August. Au Vodka joins a portfolio of more than 500 brands, including Buffalo Trace bourbon, Fireball and SVEDKA.

Au Vodka's rise from Swansea

They know how to grow a brand without losing what makes it special.

Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn founded Au Vodka in Swansea, Wales, in 2015, building the brand around distinctive gold-foiled bottles and a fruit-flavoured range. DJ Charlie Sloth later joined as an investor and director, extending the label's reach among younger drinkers.

The numbers explain Sazerac's interest. In the year to April 2025, Au Vodka posted sales of £83 million, up from £65 million the year before, with pre-tax profit of £6.7 million. Reuters, citing a person familiar with the matter, put the price above £300 million; Sazerac has not disclosed terms.

"Au Vodka is a brand we've long admired, and it's had a phenomenal growth trajectory since 2015," said Jake Wenz, Sazerac's president and chief executive. "What Charlie and Jackson have accomplished in just over a decade is spectacular and rare."

Sazerac's UK buying spree continues

Au Vodka is the fourth UK or ready-to-drink acquisition Sazerac has made since 2024, following BuzzBallz, Dirty Shirley and a stake in tequila brand 818. Combined with BuzzBallz, the company now holds close to a fifth of Britain's ready-to-drink cocktail market by value. The UK spirits scene has had other wins this year, including when English whisky won protected status after a six-year campaign.

The purchase is modest next to Sazerac's other 2026 ambition, a rejected $32-a-share, roughly $15 billion bid for Brown-Forman, owner of Jack Daniel's. Au Vodka, by comparison, is a bolt-on that fills a gap in flavoured vodka and RTDs, at a time when Pernod Ricard's own sales fell nearly 4%.

Morgan framed the sale as succession rather than exit. "Having Sazerac take the helm feels like the right and natural next step for us," he said. "They know how to grow a brand without losing what makes it special."

Sazerac says Au Vodka will keep its packaging, marketing and Swansea-rooted identity as it expands into new markets under the larger company's distribution network.