Louisville-based Sazerac has completed its acquisition of Au Vodka, the UK-based flavored vodka and ready-to-drink brand founded in Swansea, Wales, in 2015, closing a deal whose financial terms were not disclosed.

The Brand Being Acquired

Au Vodka was co-founded by Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn with a strategy centred on distinctive gold-bottle packaging, bold flavored expressions, and a social-media-first marketing approach that proved unusually effective in penetrating the UK on-trade and off-trade simultaneously. Entrepreneur and broadcaster Charlie Sloth later joined as an investor, amplifying the brand's cultural cachet. Metric Capital Partners provided institutional growth capital in 2022, accelerating the build-out of an RTD range that has become a meaningful revenue contributor. The company employs more than 80 people and distributes across the UK and a growing number of international markets.

Strategic Rationale

For Sazerac — a fourth-generation, family-owned company with over 500 brands and distilleries spanning Kentucky, Cognac, Goa, and County Sligo — the transaction deepens an already-established UK commercial presence and adds a high-velocity challenger brand to a portfolio that includes Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, SVEDKA Vodka, BuzzBallz, Southern Comfort, and Myers's Rum. The RTD segment is of particular strategic interest: global ready-to-drink spirits volumes have grown at a compound annual rate exceeding 10% over the past five years, and Au's canned and bottled cocktail lines give Sazerac incremental shelf presence in convenience and grocery channels where the format has gained the most traction. The deal also gives Sazerac a credible UK-originated brand to lead international expansion efforts in markets where American heritage labels face stiffer competition from local and European alternatives.

Jake Wenz, Sazerac President and CEO, pointed to the brand's eleven-year growth arc as the primary draw. "Au Vodka is a brand we've long admired, and it's had a phenomenal growth trajectory since 2015," he said. "We have big plans for Au as we welcome the brand into the Sazerac family. This deal enables Sazerac to further expand our portfolio in the UK while also offering a path for continued global growth for Au."

What's Next

Co-founder Charlie Morgan framed the sale as a distribution inflection point rather than an exit. "With Sazerac, Au can be offered to more people, in more markets, faster than we ever could alone," he said. Sazerac's network of owned distilleries and third-party distribution agreements across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific provides the commercial infrastructure to support that ambition. The transaction follows a pattern Sazerac has executed across its broader M&A strategy, acquiring founder-led brands with strong category positioning and scaling them through its existing trade relationships.

PJT Partners and DLA Piper advised Au Vodka shareholders; PwC separately advised the founders. Dorsey & Whitney served as legal counsel to Sazerac. The deal is consistent with the wider consolidation trend reshaping the premium spirits segment, as large portfolio companies seek bolt-on acquisitions in vodka and RTDs to offset volume softness in legacy brown-spirits categories.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.