By Abigail Summerville
NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Spirits company Sazerac announced on Monday that it completed the acquisition of Au Vodka in a deal that a source familiar with the matter said valued the UK-based vodka and ready-to-drink brand at more than £300 million ($405 million).
The privately held American company has acquired several brands this year while pursuing a much bigger deal for its Louisville, Kentucky neighbor Brown-Forman.
• Sazerac has a portfolio of more than 500 brands including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, BuzzBallz, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky and SVEDKA Vodka.
• The Au Vodka deal will strengthen Sazerac’s presence in the UK market as it expands globally.
• Friends Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn founded Au Vodka in 2015 in Swansea.
• Sazerac traces its roots back to the 1850s and is owned by the Goldring family. It offered to buy Jack Daniel’s whiskey maker Brown-Forman this year for $32 per share, valuing the company at about $15 billion, but the bid was rejected.
• (£1 = $1.35)
(Reporting by Abigail Summerville in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
