Adding and modifying bottles / brands / distilleries

First things first:

The most important first: Don’t add any bottle to the base without checking all data at an image of the label or at a linked webpage. There is no reason to add a bottle without doing that. Every member is able to add an image or a link to a new sent bottle. There is no excuse for not doing that!

It is ways more complicated to remove a wrong bottle than to check the data first carefully.

It is better to miss a bottle in the base than to have one in the base that is not existing or having the same bottle twice in the base.

Brand:

Use always a brand name for a bottle. A bottle without a brand is not allowed in the database.

Distillery:

If the distillery name is declared on the label, add it to the bottle. But if the distillery name is not declared on the label don’t add it to the base. Even if someone knows that the bottle must be distilled by a certain distillery don’t add it to the base. Information like this can be added as a note to the bottle.

How to name a bottle correctly

If a distilling year is given, use always the distilling year as name (i.e. 1971)

If the distilling year is not known but the age (declared on the label) use the age as name. The age is always written like this: “xx-year-old” where xx can be 01, 02, … 99. Please use always two digests for the age (i.e. 08-year-old).

If the distilling year and the age are not known, use something useful for the name. Just look at the label, what is written the biggest. But don’t use the same as used for the brand yet! Don’t use NAS for the name if something else can be found on the label. Write the first letter of the words in capitals (maybe not for “of”, “and”, …) (i.e. “Fine and Old Blend”)

If it is an independent bottling, add the abbreviation of the bottler to the name. But don’t add it if you don’t use the distilling year or the age as the name (i.e. “1971 GM”, “08-year-old DL”, but not “Fine and Old Blend XYZ”)

There are very few bottles in the base that are not fulfilling these rules (i.e. Ardbeg Ten instead of Ardbeg 10-year-old). Keep this number as small as possible

How to write dates correctly

The format for the date is as follows:

[dd].[mm].yyyy

dd is optional and a number between 01 and 31 (always two digits)

mm is optional and a number between 01 and 12 (always two digits)

yyyy is mandatory (if known) and is written with four digits

Use always figures divided by a point for the distilling or the bottling date. You can leave the day or the day and the month if they are not known. I.e. 01.02.1999; 03.2000; 2001). Don’t write May 1999, Nov. 2000, 11-02-1999.

Sometimes you find the season given on the label. Then you can add the season together with the year. I.e. Spring 1999.

Age

Age is the most important information for some users: But we only use the field “stated age” if an age statement is on the label. Even if the distilling data and the bottling data is known don’t use the field if there is not an age statement on the label. Reason: There are bottling in the base where the only difference is an age statement on the label.

If at least the distilling year and the bottling yeas is given you can calculate the age and use the field “calculated age” But be careful! Look at the following table:

Don’t use both “stated age” and “calculated age” if not necessary.

How to give the correct ABV

Now you can add the ABV in % Vol, Proof and Gradi. Use always the unity that is given on the label. If more than one unity is given prefer % Vol.

Sometimes you find older bottles with % Vol. in the base but the label says proof. This is because we couldn’t change the unity before.

How to convert alcohol strength

There are different alcohol unities used. In Europe 100 Proof means 57% Vol; In USA 100 Proof means 50% Vol. Both can be converted linear to % Vol.

Sometimes you can find 20 u.p. or 20 under proof. This means that the bottle has 20 below 100 proof (80 Proof).

Gay Lussac, G.L., Gradi, and ° are the same as % Vol.

How to convert bottle sizes

Many different units for the volume were used. You can find a good tool to convert the volumes here: https://www.convertworld.com/en/volume/

Be careful because the same unit in Britain does not mean the same in USA!

Casktype

Don’t use words like “matured” in this field. But you can use Finished. Write the first letter of the main word in capitals. Don’t write “Sherry Octave Cask” but “Sherry Octave”. Only fill in a cask type if the information is given on the label.

Usually we don’t say how long it has matured in a certain cask. If it is a finishing only write the finish here. I.e Sherry Finish instead of: 3 Years Bourbon Cask and 6 Month Sherry Finish.

Cask number

Sometimes there is not enough space for the cask numbers (i.e. Balvenie Tuns). In this case you can write “see note” and add a note with the exact information of the cask numbers including the filling year if it is different for some cask.

Don’t use “No.” or # in this field.

Sometimes we use this field for the batch number as well. But if we have different versions of a bottling with different batch number we write the batch number to the bottle code. This field is visible if you look at the version.

Bottle Code

Bottle codes are very important for some users.

Keep the bottle code as short as possible. If the bottling date is part of the bottle code move the bottling date to the bottling field. Remove the bottling time from the bottling code.

I.e. L12 190 13:54 6ML à L12 190

Versions

The following conditions must be fulfilled that a bottle can be a version of the other one:

• Same Distillery
• Same Bottler
• Same ABV
• Same distilling date (if given)
• Same type of label
• Same cask number (if given)

If you add a bottle with a special packaging (gift box) as a new version to an existing bottle add “ – Gift Box” to the name. Specify in the label field how the gift box is looking or is including (i.e. with two glasses).

Bottled for

You can use this field to mention an event, a shop, a person, … that the bottling is did for.

Label

Add some information here to differ the bottle from others in the base or mention something special like “misprint” (By the way: even if something is printed wrong we add the wrong information to the base. I.e. distilled 2000, bottled 2010, aged 20.

Market

Use this field carefully. Sometimes users believe that a bottling is only done for UK but it is widely available.

Barcode

Sometimes the same bottling can have different barcodes. Therefore, don’t change it but add a new version of the same bottling to the base.

General

Don’t add the same information twice to the same bottle. I.e bottled for “Best Whiskyshop” and Label: “Best Whiskyshop”.

We only add information to the official data that is declared on the labels (front, neck or back), on the packaging or on a leaflet that is added to the official packaging.

Everything else can be added as a note to the bottle by every user itself.

Set of bottles: We can’t add sets of bottles for the moment. Add every bottle individually.

Non-whisky: For the moment we should not add non-whiskies. Non-Whiskies are bottles where whisk(e)y is not mentioned on the label or spirits/liquors with additional ingredients like hops, cream, sugar, spices, … (There are already non-whiskies in the base and we are still looking for a good definition what is belonging to the base and what not. If somebody has a good idea you are very welcome!)

Accepting of changed data

Don’t change the name if it is no according our naming rules above. Even if people say that it is easier to find the correct bottle. But we can’t put every data in the name! Be strict!

Don’t accept changes of prices if not a link to a shop. Even the price in the Whiskybase marketplace is not a valid source for a higher price. Sometimes users just want to increase the price in the base to justify their price in the marketplace!

Be careful if a lot of data are reported to be wrong! Often the user just wants to add a new bottle.

Be careful to change the bottle code. Often the user just wants to send a new bottle.

Be careful if a user mentions that the data is not matching to an image. Check if the image has been added by the same user that has added the bottle. If the image is added by the user that is reporting the errors often the image does not match to the original data. Delete the image in that case and deny the changes.

Don’t add a distiller if the distillery is not mentioned on the label!

Don’t add an age is the age is not mentioned on the label!

Don’t delete a bottle if a user claims that the bottle is not existing. First ask members that are having this bottle in their collection.

If you are unsure check the base for similar bottles or ask an admin first.