Au Vodka, the gold-branded spirits company co-founded by former Swansea City ball boy Charlie Morgan, is reportedly closing in on a £500m sale to Sazerac, the American drinks giant behind Southern Comfort and BuzzBallz. Morgan and his childhood friend and business partner Jackson Quinn are each expected to walk away with more than £100m from the transaction. Sazerac has since confirmed publicly that it is acquiring the Swansea-based brand, describing it as one of the most recognisable spirits labels in the United Kingdom, according to a report on the deal.
Neither Morgan nor Quinn has commented publicly on the reported terms of the sale, and Sazerac has been contacted for further comment.
Who is buying Au Vodka and what is the business worth?
According to the same report, Au Vodka currently employs around 80 people and ranks as the second-largest ready-to-drink cocktail brand in the UK, trailing only BuzzBallz, which Sazerac itself already owns. Separate reporting indicates the transaction could ultimately be worth up to £500m once future contingent payments are factored in, based on details of the advanced negotiations. The same account names the advisers involved: PJT Partners is said to be representing Au Vodka, PricewaterhouseCoopers is advising the founders, while Sazerac has enlisted Dorsey, with DLA Piper also acting for Au Vodka in the process.
How did Sazerac build its ready-to-drink portfolio?
Sazerac finalised its purchase of BuzzBallz, the canned cocktail brand, in May 2024, according to a company announcement at the time. Adding Au Vodka to a stable that already includes Southern Comfort and BuzzBallz would strengthen Sazerac's position in the fast-growing pre-mixed cocktail category on both sides of the Atlantic.
How did Au Vodka grow into a £500m brand?
Morgan and Quinn set up the company in 2015, but it was two years later, after taking investment from DJ Charlie Sloth, that the brand's profile began to rise sharply thanks to his celebrity connections. Endorsements followed, most notably from YouTube personality Jake Paul, who had an Au Vodka bottle tattooed on his body as a publicity stunt, helping the gold-coloured bottles become fixtures at pool parties in destinations such as Ibiza and Dubai.
The company later expanded into ready-to-drink cans, retaining its signature gold branding, and these quickly became some of the best-selling products in the category. In 2025, Au Vodka opened a new headquarters on an industrial estate in Swansea, converting an office block's car park into a gold-wrapped vehicle display and adding a nine-hole mini-golf course featuring golden obstacles and balls. A 2023 report had previously valued the company at around £150m, according to an earlier valuation estimate, underlining how rapidly the business has grown since then.
Who is Charlie Morgan and why was he already well known?
Long before Au Vodka existed, Morgan achieved unexpected notoriety at the age of 17 as the Swansea City ball boy kicked by Chelsea's Eden Hazard during a 2013 cup semi-final at the Liberty Stadium.
What happened during the Hazard incident?
Morgan fell to the ground as Hazard tried to retrieve the ball from underneath him, and in doing so appeared to make contact with the teenager. Hazard was sent off for the challenge and later apologised, but the episode sparked extensive debate among players, pundits and supporters over where responsibility lay.
A decade after the incident, as his business was flourishing, Morgan reunited with Hazard for a YouTube video in which the pair looked back on the moment with laughter.
What are Morgan's ambitions for Au Vodka?
Despite the brand's flashy image, Morgan and Quinn have pursued growth methodically, moving early into the ready-to-drink sector as it boomed after the pandemic and pushing Au Vodka to second place behind BuzzBallz in the UK market. Speaking to a Welsh broadcaster in 2025, Morgan indicated that the United States was now the company's primary target for expansion.
"If you asked a 25-year-old target market consumer in America, would they know Au? Probably not yet," he 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."
What happens next?
Despite Sazerac's public confirmation of its interest, the deal appears to remain in advanced but unfinished negotiations, according to the latest update from reporting on the talks. No completion date or regulatory timetable has yet been made public, meaning the precise final value and timing of the sale could still change before it is formally closed.
Key Facts
- Au Vodka was founded in Swansea in 2015 by Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn.
- The company is reportedly being sold to Sazerac, owner of BuzzBallz and Southern Comfort, in a deal valued at up to £500m.
- Au Vodka employs roughly 80 staff and is the UK's second-largest ready-to-drink cocktail brand.
- Morgan was kicked by Chelsea's Eden Hazard as a Swansea City ball boy in 2013, an incident that made him briefly famous.
- Advisers on the deal reportedly include PJT Partners, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Dorsey and DLA Piper.
