Business / news
Sazerac closes deal for fast-growing Au Vodka
Drinks group Sazerac has completed its acquisition of Au Vodka, the Welsh premium vodka label that has built a strong following in UK travel retail. The purchase price was not disclosed.
The deal, finalised this week, adds the Welsh vodka brand to a Sazerac spirits portfolio that already numbers more than 450 labels. Terms of the transaction were not made public.
Au Vodka was founded in Wales in 2015 by Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn, with DJ Charlie Sloth later joining as an investor. Sazerac president and chief executive Jake Wenz said the brand had reached the position of number one ready-to-drink product and number one super-premium vodka in the United Kingdom.
The vodka has gained particular traction in travel retail, with the UK standing out as its strongest market. It is represented in that channel by GMAX Travel Retail.
Wenz credited Morgan, Quinn and the Au team with building both a brand and a company against difficult odds, describing the trajectory as an entrepreneurial success story that survived and then thrived through the Covid period.
He said Sazerac would seek to protect what sets the brand apart while extending its reach both within the UK and into global markets.