From the 1st of February, the premium online alcohol retailer Hairydog will relaunch as Barrel & Batch at a revamped www.barrelandbatch.com.au, combining their portfolio of curated spirits and wines with the latter’s extensive whisky collection.
“We recognised a gap in the market for an online destination that has a single-minded focus on premium alcohol,” said Ryan Agar, Head of E-Commerce for Hairydog Group.
In addition to Hairydog, Hairydog Group also owns Boozebud and, from tomorrow onwards, Barrel & Batch.
“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,” said Ryan.
Hairydog has decided to adopt the Barrel & Batch name to better reflect the premium nature of the company.
“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 founder and all-round whisky guru Ray Daniel will continue on as Spirits Specialist after the merge.
“This is an exciting new chapter for Barrel & Batch,” said Ray.
“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.
“Partnering with Hairydog Group means offering their customers an even greater range of premium and limited release whisky. 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.”
In his role as Spirits Specialist, Ray Daniel will continue to seek out exclusive and rare whiskies for the site, along with hosting virtual tastings and events for the company’s loyal customer base.
The wine buying side of things will be handled by ex-MasterChef contestant and food and wine expert Phil Conway. Phil has spent time with winemakers and producers in regions such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa, and Sonoma, and is passionate about wine education and enjoyment.
To kick off the new website’s launch, free shipping will be offered on all purchases for the first week, with no minimum spend required.
