Au Vodka founders to toast £500m windfall from Sazerac sale

The alcoholic beverages empire co-founded by Britain's best-known former football ballboy is in advanced talks about a possible £500m sale to Sazerac Company, the American drinks giant.

Sky News has learnt that Au Vodka, which is headquartered in Wales, is nearing a deal to be sold to the Kentucky-based owner of brands such as BuzzBallz and Southern Comfort.

Drinks industry executives not directly involved in the negotiations said they had been ongoing for several months, and that an agreement appeared to be imminent.

If successfully completed, a transaction will net major windfalls for Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn, who jointly founded Au Vodka in 2015.

Mr Morgan had already been become a well-known figure in his native Swansea after being kicked by the Chelsea footballer Eden Hazard during a League Cup match in 2013.

After founding Au Vodka, known for its distinctive gold bottles, Mr Morgan and Mr Quinn were joined as an investor in the business by Charlie Sloth, a DJ, producer and TV presenter.

The company has enjoyed phenomenal success made all the more remarkable by the struggles of rivals hit by shifting headwinds in the global alcoholic beverages market.

President Trump's tariffs blitz has wreaked havoc for many multinational producers, including Diageo, the FTSE-100 owner of Guinness whose new chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis, this month unveiled a far-reaching turnaround plan.

Industry sources said that Au Vodka had drawn interest from a number of other trade players over the last year.

Sazerac, which has also been involved in a bid to buy the much larger spirits group Brown-Forman in recent months, is said to be keen to expand its presence in Britain.

A source close to the company said this weekend that it "admired" Au Vodka and its founders but cautioned that any discussions were ongoing and had yet to be finalised.

The value of the prospective deal is said to be as much as £500m when a series of future payments is factored in, with the two founders each expected to walk away with payouts of over £100m.

It was unclear whether they would retain roles with the company once a deal is completed.

Au has established itself in recent as the UK's leading ready-to-drink (RTD) vodka producer, having started out as a manufacturer of high-proof spirits.

The company is also growing quickly in the US and a number of other international markets.

In 2023, Au Vodka sold a minority stake to Metric Capital, a private equity firm.

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Its growth has been fuelled by a sophisticated use of social media to promote its brands, while it has also secured endorsements from celebrities including the boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather, former footballer Ronaldinho and Jake Paul, the YouTube star-turned-boxer who tattooed an image of the company's bottle on his body.

For family-owned Sazerac, a deal would add a portfolio of fast-growing products to its empire, which also includes brands such as Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare, Weller, The Last Drop Distillers and Fireball Cinnamon Whisky.

Bankers at PJT Partners are understood to be advising Au Vodka, while the company's founders are being advised by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The law firm Dorsey is acting for Sazerac, while DLA Piper is representing Au Vodka.

A spokesman for Sazerac declined to comment on Saturday, while Mr Morgan has been contacted for comment.

(c) Sky News 2026: Au Vodka founders to toast £500m windfall from Sazerac sale