Viral vodka brand set to sell for £500m to BuzzBallz owner
Welsh vodka brand Au Vodka is nearing a £500m acquisition by Sazerac, the owner of Southern Comfort and BuzzBallz. The deal is expected to provide a significant windfall for founders Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn.
Why it matters
This deal highlights the massive valuation potential of viral, celebrity-backed consumer goods brands in the modern digital economy.
Image caption, Co-founders Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn will reportedly make over £100m each from the sale of the business
Wales business correspondent Published 17 August 2026, 12:49 BST Updated 17 minutes ago The viral Welsh vodka firm Au Vodka is nearing a £500m sale to Southern Comfort and BuzzBallz owner Sazerac.
Sazerac told BBC Wales in a statement it had agreed to buy the vodka start-up, with the deal, first reported by Sky News, expected to earn Swansea-based founders Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn over £100m each.
Former Swansea City ball boy Charlie Morgan, who hit the headlines in 2013 after he was kicked by Chelsea's Eden Hazard during a cup semi-final, and his childhood friend Jackson Quinn founded the company in 2015.
The founders declined to discuss the deal, while BuzzBallz owner Sazerac said it would allow it "to deepen its presence in the UK".
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