About the whisky show
Established in 2011 by David Ligoff, The Whisky Show was founded on a simple idea to share with people new, boutique and exceptional whiskies.
Each year, The Whisky Show highlights a number of new brands and show-exclusive whisky bottlings across a number of shows.
Held across major cities across Australia, The Whisky Show is the whisky event you do not want to miss on the Australian whisky calendar.
Since Covid, The Whisky Show has pioneered a number of virtual whisky shows and festivals in the world, including the popular Virtual Aussie Whisky Show – the livestream showcased 18 different Australian whisky distilleries, helped launched 5 brand new expressions first time available, and was watched by tens of thousands of viewers globally.
THE WHISKY SHOW HISTORY
The Whisky Show was first held in 2012, at the Tattersalls Club on Elizabeth Street, Sydney CBD, and organised by World of Whisky. It incorporated the Australasian Whisky Awards, as an initiative to promote the local industry, and 33 different whiskies were entered. Judges included Corinne Mossati of Gourmantic, Dan Woolley, Chris Middleton and Craig Daniels, with Overeem Whisky awarded the top honours.
The Show moved to Sir Stamford at Circular Quay in 2013, with the Australasian Whisky Awards again being held. Starward and Timboon were the winners, out of 29 entries. It became clear that with the growth in both Show visitors and exhibitors, this venue would be too small, and the Show found a new home at Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport, and a consistent date over World Whisky Day. Since then Sydney has seen capacity crowds of around 1,500 visitors.
2014 also saw The Whisky Show being established in Melbourne, at the Stamford Plaza in the CBD. This has been the home of the Show in Melbourne until COVID, with around 900 visitors each year.
In more recent years the Show has made cameo appearances in Auckland and Adelaide, and the off-shoot show featuring only American and Canadian whiskies has been held in Sydney and Brisbane.
Photos of these early shows bring back memories of the days when Sullivans Cove French Oak was freely on pour, 30yo whiskies featured regularly, and overseas visitors such as Ian Chang of Kavalan and Graham Nicolson of Tomatin were frequent visitors.
EXCLUSIVE SHOW BOTTLINGS
Since 2017, The Whisky Show have partnered with distilleries across the globe to bottle limited edition whisky just for show attendees.
2017
Tomatin 2004 12yo Moscatel Finish Single Cask
2019
New Zealand Whisky Collection Oamaruvian 18yo Single Cask
2020
Glenglassaugh 2009 10yo Aleatico Wine Cask Finish Single Cask
2021
Benriach 2009 Single Cask #8752 11 Year Old Moscatel Hogshead
2022
Milk & Honey Peated STR Single Cask
About David Ligoff, Founder The whisky show
Alchemist Events is the parent company of The Whisky Show.
Alchemist Events is managed by David Ligoff, co-founder of World of Whisky (the only specialised whisky shop in Australia) and one of the foremost authorities on the local whisky scene. His speciality is events, with 30 years’ experience in this industry in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. He is the organiser of the highly successful The Whisky Show, held in Sydney, Melbourne and across Australia, with over 20 whisky and gin shows enjoyed by thousands of people over the past eleven years.
David was awarded 2021 Communicator of the Year for Australia by the UK's Whisky Magazine in their annual Icons of Whisky Awards. These awards are presented in 5 zones around the world.
About Alchemist Events
Alchemists Events is the parent company of The Whisky Show. Along with putting on Australia’s largest festival dedicated to whisky, Alchemist Events specialises in:
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Corporate events
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Weddings, Birthdays, Stags & Hens
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Whisky & Cheese tastings
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Gin & Rum tastings
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Virtual tastings
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Whisky consultation services
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Whisky tours
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Fundraisers
If the world is your adventure playground. If whisky is not something you just drink but rather something you experience. If you tend to the bespoke rather than the pack. If your quest is to fill your life with the extraordinary and leave the mundane to others….meet the Alchemists. David and his team can use their magic to transform your next event into something you will remember. Nothing is too small…Whisky tastings, shows, fundraisers, corporate events, birthdays, weddings, whisky tours..wherever an unrivalled whisky experience is needed.
Whether it is selecting a range of whiskies for your Man Cave, providing professional staff to run the bar at your next celebration, or creating a memorable experience for a corporate function, Alchemist Events can customise bespoke experiences to suit your needs and budget.