Viral vodka brand Au set to sell for £500m to BuzzBallz owner
Au Vodka to Be Acquired by Sazerac in £500m Deal
Ninoda.com – The Welsh spirits startup Au Vodka is on the verge of a £500m exit, having reached agreement with Sazerac — the parent company behind BuzzBallz and Southern Comfort — to purchase the brand. The transaction, initially flagged by Sky News, is projected to hand each of the two Swansea-based founders, Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn, more than £100m personally.
Sazerac confirmed the arrangement in a statement to BBC Wales, noting the acquisition would enable the group "to deepen its presence in the UK." The founders themselves declined to comment on the terms.
From Ball Boy to Billionaire-Adjacent
Morgan first entered the public consciousness at age 17, not as an entrepreneur but as a Swansea City ball boy who was struck by Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard during a 2013 cup semi-final at the Liberty Stadium. Hazard attempted to play the ball away from the teenager, made contact, was sent off, and subsequently issued an apology. The episode ignited a prolonged debate across football circles over responsibility.
A decade later, with his business empire flourishing, Morgan reunited with Hazard for a YouTube video in which the two men laughed off the old incident.
His childhood friend Jackson Quinn co-founded Au Vodka in 2015. Two years after launch, DJ Charlie Sloth brought investment into the venture, leveraging his celebrity network to secure high-profile endorsements for the distinctive gold-coloured bottles.
Gold Bottles, Viral Moments
The brand's visual identity became inseparable from excess. YouTube personality Jake Paul inked an Au Vodka bottle onto his skin as a publicity stunt, while the gold cans became fixtures at poolside gatherings across Ibiza and Dubai. The company extended its ready-to-drink line, retaining the signature gold packaging, and climbed to become the second-largest player in the UK canned-cocktail market behind BuzzBallz.
In 2025 the firm opened a new headquarters on a Swansea industrial estate. The site features a car park lined with gold-wrapped vehicles and a nine-hole mini golf course complete with golden obstacles and balls.
Eyes on America
Morgan told BBC Wales News in 2025 that the company was pushing aggressively into the United States. He framed the opportunity in blunt terms:
"If you asked a 25-year-old target market consumer in America, would they know Au? Probably not yet. 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."
Regulatory Stumble
Not every headline was celebratory. In 2025 the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Au Vodka had breached rules by inappropriately targeting under-18s through a social media promotion. The ASA banned a TikTok advert featuring a Love Island contestant.
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