Australian online alcohol retailer Hairydog has today merged with specialist whisky site Barrel & Batch, relaunching under the Barrel & Batch name with hopes to expand its curated offering of quality whisky, wine and premium spirits.
Ryan Agar, Head of E-Commerce at Hairydog Group which includes the newly-merged business and BoozeBud, says: “We recognised a gap in the market for an online destination that has a single-minded focus on premium alcohol.
“Plus, we’ve long felt at Hairydog that our product collection – and our customer base – is a little more sophisticated than the name Hairydog would suggest, and we’ve been working on a rebrand for some time.
“Barrel & Batch will be wine, premium spirits, and whisky-driven but with an exceptional range of over 3,000 carefully selected drinks sourced by our experts from across Australia and overseas, including gin, tequila and rum.”
The catalogue will be curated to include a refined selection across all product categories and price points, with the wine catalogue led by Head of Wine Phil Conway, an ex-Masterchef contestant and food wine expert.
Ray Daniel, Founder of Barrel & Batch, remains with the business as Spirits Specialist and will continue to source exclusive whisky drops and host virtual tastings and events for loyal followers of the brand.
“This is an exciting new chapter for Barrel & Batch as we join forces with Hairydog to become a single destination for a vast selection of quality whisky, spirits and wine. Partnering with Hairydog Group means offering their customers an even greater range of premium and limited release whisky,” Daniel said.
“Barrel & Batch customers can expect the same impressive whisky picks as we’ve always done, including old and rare, single cask and exclusive barrel releases, with the additional benefit of being able to access a comprehensive range of premium alcohol across all categories at one online store.
“My team and I will continue to control and choose the exclusive whisky picks, and include the Barrel & Batch community to join us in these selections as previously done. Leveraging Hairydog Group’s operations, logistic support and network will give Barrel & Batch an opportunity to scale in line with the exciting number of releases we have in store for the year to come.”
New and existing customers will have access to more benefits following the merger, including a soon to launch loyalty and rewards program, first-to-market access and exclusive products, and tips, guides and discussions to help customers get the most out of the offering.
The new look Barrel & Batch website launches today, with free delivery for one week on all purchases.