The Swansea-based spirits brand Au Vodka is reportedly in talks over a £500m sale to Sazerac, the owner of Southern Comfort and BuzzBallz, according to the BBC. The deal, first reported by Sky News, is expected to earn co-founders Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn more than £100m each.
The reported transaction
Au Vodka's founders declined to discuss the reported deal, while Sazerac has been approached for comment, the BBC reported. The potential transaction was first reported by Sky News. If completed, the £500m deal would deliver more than £100m to each of the co-founders, according to the report.
From ball boy to spirits entrepreneur
Morgan, a former Swansea City ball boy, hit the headlines in 2013 when he was kicked by Chelsea's Eden Hazard during a cup semi-final. Morgan fell to the ground as Hazard attempted to retrieve the ball, and the Chelsea midfielder then tried to kick it from under him, appearing to make contact with the youngster. Hazard was sent off at the Liberty Stadium and later apologised, but the incident prompted widespread debate among football fans, players and pundits. Ten years later, Morgan reunited with Hazard for a YouTube video in which they laughed about the incident, according to the BBC.
Morgan and his childhood friend Quinn founded Au Vodka in 2015. Two years after launching, they accepted investment from DJ Charlie Sloth, whose celebrity contacts brought valuable endorsements for the gold-coloured vodka bottles. YouTube star Jake Paul had a tattoo of an Au Vodka bottle as part of a publicity stunt, while the gold bottles became a staple of poolside parties in Ibiza and Dubai.
Ready-to-drink growth and US expansion
The company developed ready-to-drink cans that kept the distinctive gold branding and became one of the most popular products on the market, according to the BBC. Having moved quickly into the ready-to-drink market as it boomed following the pandemic, Au Vodka became second only to BuzzBallz in the UK.
Morgan told BBC Wales News in 2025 that the company was expanding aggressively into the US market.
"If you asked a 25-year-old target market consumer in America, would they know Au? Probably not yet," Morgan said. "So there's still so many more people who don't know about us. And I think we're still driven to try and take over the world a little bit more."
New Swansea headquarters
In 2025, Au Vodka opened a new headquarters on an industrial estate in Swansea, turning an office block into a car park full of gold-wrapped cars. Visitors enjoyed a nine-hole mini golf course with golden obstacles and balls, the BBC reported.
Key facts at a glance
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reported deal value | £500m |
| Expected proceeds per founder | Over £100m |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn |
| UK ready-to-drink position | Second only to BuzzBallz |
| New headquarters opened | 2025 |
The reported talks come about a year after Morgan told BBC Wales News that Au Vodka was expanding aggressively into the US. Sazerac, the reported buyer, already owns BuzzBallz, the brand ahead of Au Vodka in the UK ready-to-drink market. Au Vodka's founders declined to discuss the deal, and Sazerac has been approached for comment, the BBC reported.
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