Louisville-based Sazerac has closed its acquisition of Au Vodka, the Swansea, Wales-founded flavored vodka and RTD brand, the company confirmed September 14, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal, first announced as a binding agreement, clears the path for Sazerac to deepen its wholesale network reach across the United Kingdom and accelerate Au's entry into new international markets through the acquirer's existing global distribution infrastructure.

The Brand's Trajectory

Au Vodka was founded in 2015 by Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn, with celebrity DJ and broadcaster Charlie Sloth later joining as an investor. The brand built early momentum through a social media-forward marketing strategy and a distinctive gold bottle aesthetic, carving out differentiated shelf space in a crowded flavored-vodka segment. In 2022, Metric Capital Partners provided institutional growth capital, further scaling the business. Today Au operates with a staff of more than 80 and distributes across UK retail, on-premise hospitality, and e-commerce channels, with a growing international footprint.

For Sazerac, whose 500-plus brand portfolio includes Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, BuzzBallz, SVEDKA Vodka, and Southern Comfort, Au adds a high-velocity UK-native vodka and RTD SKU set to a roster already spanning bourbon, rum, Irish whiskey, Cognac, and single malt. The acquisition also broadens the company's RTD exposure at a moment when the ready-to-drink segment continues to outpace total spirits growth across both on-premise and off-premise channels in the UK and key export markets.

Route-to-Market Implications

The strategic logic centers squarely on distribution leverage. Sazerac's existing UK commercial operation — anchored by a London office and wholesale relationships built over years of brand-building activity — gives Au Vodka an immediate upgrade in route-to-market reach without requiring the brand to build supplier-distributor agreements from scratch in each new territory. For a brand that grew largely on DTC momentum and social engagement, plugging into an established three-tier-equivalent structure across European and export markets represents a significant commercial step-change.

Jake Wenz, Sazerac President and CEO, pointed to Au's decade-long growth arc as the central attraction. "Au Vodka is a brand we've long admired, and it's had a phenomenal growth trajectory since 2015," Wenz said. "This deal enables Sazerac to further expand our portfolio in the UK while also offering a path for continued global growth for Au." Co-founder Charlie Morgan framed the transaction as an access play: "With Sazerac, Au can be offered to more people, in more markets, faster than we ever could alone."

What's Next for the Portfolio

Sazerac's M&A history — which includes brands as varied as the BuzzBallz RTD cocktail line and Paul John Single Malt from India — suggests a hands-on brand-incubation model that preserves founder identity while deploying capital and distribution muscle. Au's flavored vodka range and RTD lineup slot neatly alongside BuzzBallz in Sazerac's growing better-for-fun, convenience-oriented segment, giving the company complementary products for cold-chain retail sets and on-premise speed wells across the UK and beyond.

The deal was advised by PJT Partners (financial) and DLA Piper (legal) for Au's shareholders; PwC advised Au's founders. Dorsey & Whitney served as legal counsel to Sazerac. As spirits M&A activity continues to reshape the global supplier landscape, this acquisition signals that family-owned operators with deep wholesale networks remain aggressive acquirers of fast-growing, culturally resonant brands. Coverage of related RTD and flavored spirits trends continues across Beverage B2B.

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.