Online whisky retailer, The Whisky List, has purchased The Whisky Show, a leading event company that oversees thousands of Aussies sample hundreds of whiskies across its annual whisky festivals nationwide.
According to The Whisky List, the move aligns with its consumer-centric approach of catering to evolving expectations, capitalising on the robust growth of the liquor industry in e-commerce, and increasing demand for premium in-person whiskey experiences.
Established in 2012 by David Ligoff and Larry Aronson, The Whisky Show offers a venue for local and international exhibiting distillers, brands, and consumers. Before its inception, Aronson and Ligoff co-founded the country’s first whisky specialist retail store, World of Whiskey.
“We’ve been working in close partnership with The Whisky Show for several years now, initially with the development of the Show App, facilitating the rollout of virtual shows and events during Covid lockdowns, and assisting the running of their pop-up bottle shop at each Show,” said Oliver Maruda, co-founder of The Whisky List.
“It was a natural fit for us to unite forces in this next phase of our company’s growth.”
According to the partnership, The Whisky Show Australia will continue as a standalone brand, with Ligoff joining the company full-time as director of experiences and events.
Ligoff has more than 20 years of experience in the liquor industry, with diverse expertise, including launching Australia’s first dedicated whisky retailer, World of Whisky, and running whisky tastings.
Larry Aronson – who joined The Whisky List in 2021 to lead its import and distribution division – expressed his excitement about working with Ligoff again.
“David and I had an absolute blast together in the past, introducing new whisky brands into the Australian market,” said Aronson.
“Having The Whisky Show join with The Whisky List feels like family reuniting, enhancing our ability to build brands and maximise value to our customers and exhibitors.”
In sharing the announcement, Ligoff expressed his pride in all the accomplishments of The Whisky Show brand.
“For over a decade, more than 55,000 Australians have discovered new whiskies and made new friends at our festivals,” he continued.
Established in 2018, The Whiskey List began as an online whiskey search engine that became one of the country’s biggest whiskey retailers.
