Sazerac Reportedly Pursuing British RTD Cocktail Brand Au Vodka
Sazerac Co. reportedly is negotiating to buy Au Vodka, a fast-growing British brand of ready-to-drink, vodka-based cocktails, although the deal has not been consummated. Au Vodka follows the current trend of premade cocktails using actual spirits, not an alcoholic malt base.
Britain’s Sky News reported last week the Wales brand, known for its sleek gold cans, could fetch £500m ($679 million). The company was founded in 2015 by Jackson Quinn and former star British soccer player Charlie Morgan.
Sazerac, which, has also been involved in a bid to buy the much larger spirits group Brown-Forman in recent months, is said to be keen to expand its presence in Britain, Sky News said – although Au Vodka appears to have some presence in the U.S. and international markets. Sazerac owns brands such as Southern Comfort, Buffalo Trace bourbon and BuzzBallz cocktails.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.