Whiskey Riot

What Whiskey Riot does

Whiskey Riot is a privately held US festival company that organizes large-format whiskey tasting events across multiple cities. Founded in 2017 and operating as Whiskey Riot Productions, LLC out of Buffalo, NY, the company runs nine events scheduled for 2026 across Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Orlando, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Oklahoma City. Each festival features sampling of more than 150 whiskey varieties with brand representatives on-site to provide education and guidance, targeting adult consumers ranging from newcomers to whiskey aficionados. The company has no disclosed proprietary technology and runs with a small 1-10 person team.

The core product is the Whiskey Riot Festival, monetized through two ticket tiers — General Admission at approximately $90 and Early Entry at $120-$160 — distributed exclusively through the TIXR online ticketing platform, with regional retailer partners such as Twin Liquors (San Antonio) and Premier Wines (Buffalo) supporting local promotion. Additional revenue comes from whiskey brand sponsorships and corporate sponsorships across categories such as snacks, cigars, glassware, and non-alcoholic beverages, with select events directing proceeds to non-profit beneficiaries including Family Meal Hospitality Trust and the Foundation for Hope Village. The company has accumulated a partner roster of more than 100 whiskey brands over multiple years of recurring events, spanning major distillers (Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, Macallan, Jack Daniel's) and dozens of craft labels. A sister event brand, Tequila Templo, applies the same festival format to tequila, mezcal, and agave spirits under the same production infrastructure.

The company markets through its website, social media, and email list building via a free downloadable whiskey tasting worksheet. It is independently owned and founder-operated (Bobby Finan, Founder & Managing Member), with no disclosed venture capital backing, no public listing, and no reported revenue or funding figures in the available data. The business model is event-driven, with annual per-city recurrence driving long-tail brand equity rather than recurring subscription revenue.

Name

Whiskey Riot

Legal name

Whiskey Riot Productions, LLC

Website

https://whiskeyriot.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Whiskey Riot is a US festival company organizing large-format whiskey tasting events across nine US cities in 2026, featuring 150-plus whiskeys with brand representatives providing education to adult enthusiasts, sold via tiered ticketing and brand sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Tasting Events

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Whiskey tasting festivals
• Spirits tasting events
• Consumer event ticketing
• Multi-city tasting tour
• Whiskey brand sampling

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling admission tickets to whiskey tasting events. Tickets are sold in tiers (General Admission and Early Entry) with pricing varying by city. All whiskey samples are included with admission.
2. Whiskey Brand Sponsorships: Whiskey brands pay to participate as sponsors at events, gaining exposure to attendees and brand representation at tasting stations.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors from categories like snacks, cigars, glassware and other lifestyle products pay for sponsorship opportunities to reach festival attendees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Whiskey Riot operates large-format whiskey tasting festivals across multiple U.S. cities, offering attendees the ability to sample over 150 whiskeys with brand representatives providing education and guidance. The company sells tiered event tickets (General Admission and Early Entry) directly to consumers and generates additional revenue through whiskey brand and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Whiskey Riot is a festival company that organizes large-format whiskey tasting events across multiple U.S. cities. The core product is the Whiskey Riot Festival, which offers attendees the opportunity to sample hundreds of whiskeys with brand representatives present for education and guidance. The company also operates a sister event called Tequila Templo focused on agave spirits. Additional offerings include free Whiskey Tasting Worksheets and tiered ticket options (General Admission and Early Entry) with varying levels of access to rare whiskies and exclusive pours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tequila Templo: A celebration of tequila, mezcal & agave spirits - a separate event brand operated by the company.

Products and services

• Whiskey Riot Festival A multi-city whiskey tasting festival where adult attendees sample over 150 whiskeys, attend educational seminars, and interact with distillers and brand founders. Held annually across U.S. cities including Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Orlando, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Oklahoma City.
• Tequila Templo A sister event brand operated by Whiskey Riot Productions, LLC, focused on tequila, mezcal, and agave spirits tastings.
• General Admission Ticket Standard entry ticket to a Whiskey Riot festival, providing access to whiskey samples of 150+ varieties, an official branded tasting glass to take home, and whiskey cocktail samples. Event duration is typically 4-7 PM.
• Early Entry Ticket Premium entry ticket offering one hour of early access (3-7 PM), 33% more tasting time, special access to limited edition and rare whiskies on a first-come basis, and dinner included at the Houston event.
• Whiskey Brand Sponsorships Sponsorship opportunities for whiskey brands to participate at Whiskey Riot festivals, gaining exposure to attendees and brand representation at tasting stations.
• Corporate Sponsorships Sponsorship opportunities for non-whiskey corporate brands in categories such as snacks, cigars, glassware, and other lifestyle products to reach festival attendees.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Family Meal Hospitality TrustminorOthers · 1 January 2026Non-profit beneficiary of the San Antonio event and Orlando event. Family Meal Hospitality Trust is a 501(c)(3) organization that benefits from proceeds of Whiskey Riot events.
• The Foundation for Hope VillageminorOthersNon-profit partner benefiting from the San Antonio event. Hope Village foundation receives proceeds from Whiskey Riot events.
• 100+ Whiskey BrandscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHistoric participating brands include Hard Truth, Uncle Nearest, 1845 Silo, Blackland Distillery, Pinhook, Copper & Cask, Holladay Bourbon, Willett, Augusta Distillery, Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, Starlight, 15 Stars, Redbreast, Glen Scotia, Knob Creek, Horse Soldier, Jim Beam, McTish Spirits, Tincup, Old Humble, Jefferson's, Bard, Irr, Powers, Bulleit, Maker's Mark, Four Roses, Jameson, Blue Run, Green River, Bardstown Bourbon Co., Ampersand, Templeton, Barrell Craft Spirits, Evan Williams, Sagamore Spirit, Austin101, BBCO, Cacao, Dalmore, Yellow Rose, Teeling, Lot 40, Wild Turkey, Shackleton, Koval, Dewars, Coppersea, Old Overholt, Old Forester, Michter's, Bendreckridge, Old Elk, Devil's River, Russell's, Southern Tier, Balcones, McKenna, Glenmorangie, Macallan, Stranahans, Von Payne, Black Button, Pikesville, Old Ezra, Basil Hayden, Jefferson's, Old Camp, Hendrick's, Forty Creek, GlenDronach, Blanton's, Woodford Reserve, GlenGrant, GlenDronach, BenRiach, Balcones, Redemption, Redbreast, and many others.
• Twin Liquors (San Antonio)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial retailer of San Antonio Whiskey Riot 2026. Twin Liquors promotes the event and sells tickets as the official retail partner.
• Premier Wines (Buffalo)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial retail partner of Buffalo Whiskey Riot 2026. Premier Wines promotes and supports the Buffalo event.
• Tequila TemplominorOthersRelated sister event - a celebration of tequila, mezcal and agave spirits. Same production company as Whiskey Riot.
• TIXRcoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive ticketing platform partner for all Whiskey Riot events. Handles online ticket sales and event registration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The Whisky Show: UK-anchored tasting event brand that has expanded into additional markets. Comparable in festival format and audience to Whiskey Riot, but does not currently compete in Whiskey Riot's US cities, positioning it as an emerging/expanding peer.
• Whiskey in the Winter: Whiskey-focused tasting event series held in select US markets. Comparable format and audience to Whiskey Riot, but with smaller event scale and limited multi-city rollout.

Regional players

• The Manhattan Whiskey Festival: Whiskey tasting event format identical to Whiskey Riot (multi-brand sampling, branded tasting glass, tiered tickets, brand representatives). Operates primarily in the Northeast US (New York City area) and so is a regional rather than national direct competitor.
• Twin Liquors (in-store tastings): Regional spirits retailer that runs frequent in-store tastings and is already a Whiskey Riot retail partner in San Antonio. Comparable consumer-facing whiskey-discovery experience, but in a retail rather than festival setting.
• Premier Wines (Buffalo): Buffalo-based wine and spirits retailer that hosts tastings and is an official retail partner for Whiskey Riot's Buffalo event. Comparable experiential whiskey-discovery proposition at smaller, retail-driven scale.

Broad incumbents

• American Distilling Institute (ADI) Judging of Craft Spirits: Industry association and event organizer for craft distillers. Comparable in audience (distillers, brand founders, enthusiasts) and event-driven engagement, but with a B2B/judging orientation rather than consumer tasting.

Direct peers

• Tales of the Cocktail: Annual spirits-industry festival and conference that brings together distillers, brand ambassadors and consumers for tastings, seminars, and education. Directly comparable to Whiskey Riot in format, audience (spirits enthusiasts), and sponsorship-driven monetization, though Tales of the Cocktail is anchored in New Orleans and covers the full cocktail spectrum rather than whiskey-only.
• WhiskyFest: Multi-city large-format whiskey tasting events held annually in major US markets (NYC, SF, DC, LA, Chicago). Operates on the same festival template as Whiskey Riot — branded tasting glass, dozens to hundreds of whiskeys per event, brand representatives on the floor, and tiered ticket pricing — making it the closest like-for-like US competitor.
• Bourbon & Beyond: Multi-day whiskey, bourbon and music festival. While larger and music-led, it shares Whiskey Riot's core proposition of bringing together distillers and enthusiasts for sampling, education and brand activation in a festival setting.
• Cincinnati Whiskey Festival: Single-market whiskey tasting festival offering samples from a large roster of distilleries with brand representatives. Same core event template as Whiskey Riot at a smaller, single-city scale, making it a direct competitor in its local market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whiskey-riot-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whiskey Riot