CHINA. China Duty Free Group (CDFG) has launched the highly-anticipated Shanghai edition of its ‘Cheers With Whisky’ pop-up experience. It took place during the CDF Member Carnival at Shanghai Exhibition Center and marks the third stop on the concept’s ‘City Whisky Journey’.
The travel retailer said this underscores its commitment to building a category-defining ‘whisky IP’ in China’s travel retail sector.
The pop-up was built around a four-pillar model—pop-up experience, professional tasting, livestream interaction and instant transaction—and featured a distinctive pop-up curating an exclusive selection of whiskies.
Dedicated photo zones and interactive prize draws connected visitors to whisky culture, engaging a younger, lifestyle-focused audience in a highly shareable setting.
Complementing the physical experience was a custom-built wood-finish ‘Cheers With Whisky’ Livestream Studio, which hosted four sessions across 28–29 March—one celebrity-led show and three brand flagship broadcasts.
The pop-up emerged as a major drawcard at this year’s members’ event, with its blend of high-impact environments, celebrity talent, global brand partnerships and integrated commerce.
The set-up created a consumer journey from offline discovery to online engagement, ordering and fulfilment, linking experience, inspiration, conversion and repurchase.
Renowned media personality Li Sisi (above) was appointed CDF Whisky Ambassador, helming the ‘Cheers With Whisky x Li Sisi: Moments of Whisky Sharing’ livestream. Li explored the evolving connection between women and whisky, delved into the category’s rich heritage and paired drams with Shanghai’s culinary identity.
She also unveiled the CDF x Li Sisi Exclusive Star Whisky List, leveraging her personal influence and expertise to amplify the concept’s credibility and extend its reach.
Three leading drinks groups—William Grant & Sons, Bacardi and Diageo—partnered with CDFG for a spectacular ‘Cheers With Whisky’ Brand Livestream Gala. Featuring exclusive pricing, limited-edition rewards and fan-only privileges, the event merged cultural storytelling with transactional power.
Rooted in CDFG’s omnichannel strength and strong supply chain, the ‘Cheers With Whisky’ initiative – launched in 2025 – is anchored by the acclaimed cdf Malt & More Whisky Museum in Haikou and powered digitally by the cdf Member Buy platform.
Complemented by top-tier KOL and celebrity collaborations and a structured brand growth programme, CDFG is building toward the creation of a national benchmark: the cdf Online Whisky Museum. The goal is to build a vibrant, professional community for whisky enthusiasts across China, fostering the popularisation and development of whisky culture in the country.
The move seeks to dissolve whisky’s historic reputation as niche and exclusive, opening the category to a wider audience.
Since its launch, ‘Cheers With Whisky’ has built a strong industry reputation and an engaged user base through innovative activations and premium content, establishing itself as the signature whisky platform in China’s duty-free channel.
The national City Whisky Journey kicked off during Lunar New Year 2026 with activations in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Pop-up vehicles were positioned in prime city central locations and outside local cdf downtown duty-free stores, creating social media hotspots.
Paired with themed livestreams linked to the downtown stores, the model merged immersive tasting, cultural education and on-the-spot online purchasing to deliver cultural impact, experiences and sales conversion.
Both openings delivered strong footfall, commercial performance and record-breaking livestream metrics—from viewership and engagement to conversion—while driving sustained offline participation.
Crucially, ‘Cheers With Whisky’ is aligned with a structural shift in China’s whisky market. Data reveals that female consumers are growing at a markedly faster rate than men, and now represent more than 35% of purchasing in the category.
CDFG also noted that the market is being driven by dynamics such as self-indulgence, independent taste, social drinking and collectability. CDFG said it is embracing this new generation of consumers, refining its product mix, experiential design and communication strategies to expand whisky’s reach and lead industry-wide evolution in aesthetics and consumption behaviour.
In an exclusive interview with The Moodie Davitt Report, a senior CDFG executive responsible for ‘Cheers With Whisky’ revealed landmark 2025 results:
- Four flagship livestreams in partnership with 13+ international whisky brands
- Livestream viewership exceeding 1.4 million
- More than 10,000 orders driven directly by the IP
- 130 million impressions for whisky-related products on cdf Member Buy, up +41% year-on-year
- 210,000 paying consumers, including 160,000 new visitors – an increase of +81% year-on-year
The results have built a highly concentrated core membership base, laying the groundwork for long-term category growth, said CDFG.
In 2026, ‘Cheers With Whisky’ enters a transformative new phase: deepening its national presence, brand elevation and ecosystem building.
CDFG said it will strengthen collaboration across content, product and marketing, crafting partnerships tailored to each brand’s positioning, origin and price architecture.
The group will increase investment in the concept to expand private domain traffic, deepen brand partnerships and amplify industry influence, providing end-to-end support for partners – from channel access and digital marketing to traffic generation – to help brands achieve or exceed their sales objectives.
Looking ahead, ‘Cheers With Whisky’ aims to popularise whisky culture, leveraging CDFG’s resources and operational capability, with a goal to build a win-win ecosystem and establish the leading authoritative whisky platform in travel retail.
In doing so, CDFG said it seeks to drive the high-quality development of China’s whisky market and become a bridge connecting the world’s leading whisky brands and China’s discerning consumers. ✈
