Viral vodka brand Au set to sell for £500m to BuzzBallz owner
Au Vodka co-owner Charlie Morgan earned infamy in 2013 after being kicked by the Chelsea footballer.
The viral Welsh vodka firm Au Vodka is set to be sold for £500 million to the owner of Southern Comfort and BuzzBallz, Sazerac. The deal, first reported by Sky News, is expected to earn the Swansea-based founders Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn over £100 million each. Co-founders Morgan and Quinn established the company in 2015.
The founders did not comment on the sale, while Sazerac stated the purchase would allow them to strengthen their position in the UK market. Two years after launching the vodka firm, Morgan and Quinn sought investment from DJ Charlie Sloth, who helped secure valuable endorsements for the vodka bottles. YouTube star Jake Paul even had a tattoo of an Au Vodka bottle as part of a publicity stunt, and the gold bottles became a popular sight at poolside parties in Ibiza and Dubai.
The company launched ready-to-drink cans featuring distinctive gold branding, becoming one of the most popular products on the market. In 2025, Au Vodka opened a new headquarters in their home city of Swansea, transforming an office block into a gold-wrapped car park with a mini golf course for visitors. Former Swansea City ball boy Charlie Morgan, who gained fame at 17 after being kicked by Chelsea's Eden Hazard, now aims to expand Au Vodka aggressively into the US market.
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