Advanced guidelines for adding and editing bottles on Whiskybase

This article is for members who regularly add or edit bottle data and want to keep the Whiskybase database consistent and accurate. It builds on the basic submission guide and focuses on more detailed rules, edge cases, and how to review changes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. Always work from the label or an official source
• 2. Brand, distillery and naming nuances
• 3. Dates and age
• 4. ABV, proof and alcohol units
• 5. Bottle sizes and conversions
• 6. Cask type and cask numbers
• 7. Bottle codes
• 8. Versions, “bottled for,” label, market and barcodes
• 9. General rules about what belongs in the database
• 10. Reviewing and accepting changes

1. Always work from the label or an official source

Only add or change data when you can check it against:

• A clear image of the label, packaging, or leaflet

• A reliable webpage (producer or shop)

Never add a bottle or approve an edit based purely on memory or assumptions.
It is always better to miss a bottle than to add one that does not exist or to duplicate an existing entry. Removing wrong bottles is far more complicated than checking carefully first.

2. Brand, distillery and naming nuances

Every bottle must have a brand. A bottle without a brand is not allowed.

Only add a distillery if it is clearly named on the label. Even if you know which distillery made the whisky, do not enter it in the distillery field if it is not printed. Put that information in a note instead.

For naming:

• If a distillation year is printed, use that year as the bottle name (for example 1971).

• If no year but an age is printed, use “xx-year-old” with two digits (for example 08-year-old).

• If neither is printed, use a useful phrase from the label that is not the brand and write it in title case (for example Fine and Old Blend).

For independent bottlings, add the bottler abbreviation only when the name is a year or age (for example 1971 GM or 08-year-old DL, but not Fine and Old Blend XYZ). There are a few historical exceptions such as Ardbeg Ten, and you should keep new exceptions to a minimum.

3. Dates and age

Dates must be entered in numeric format: dd.mm.yyyy.

Day and month are optional, but the year must be four digits if it is known. Examples: 01.02.1999, 03.2000, 2001.

Do not write dates as “May 1999” or use formats like 11-02-1999. If a season is printed on the label, you can use it together with the year (for example Spring 1999).

For age:

• Use “stated age” only if an age is printed on the label. Even if you can calculate it from distillation and bottling dates, do not fill stated age unless the age appears on the label.

• You may use “calculated age” if both distillation and bottling year are printed, but be careful. Without exact days, the real age may be one year lower than simple subtraction suggests.

For example:

• Distilled 2000 and bottled 2005 could be 4 years if it was distilled in May and bottled in March.

• Distilled 05.1987 and bottled 05.2000 could be 12 years if it was distilled late in May and bottled early in May.

Do not use both stated and calculated age unless there is a specific reason to do so.

4. ABV, proof and alcohol units

Always enter the alcohol strength exactly as it appears on the label and use the same unit. If more than one unit is printed, prefer percent by volume.

Basic proof conversions:

In Europe, 100 proof is about 57 percent.
In the USA, 100 proof is 50 percent.

If you see “20 u.p.” or “20 under proof,” this means 20 points below 100 proof, so 80 proof.

Gay Lussac, G.L., Gradi and the degree symbol are used in some countries and can be treated as equivalent to percent by volume for entry in Whiskybase.

5. Bottle sizes and conversions

Different markets use different volume units. When a size is given in ounces or non standard units, use a reliable conversion tool to convert to millilitres and be aware that UK and US fluid ounces are not the same. Always ensure the converted size matches the real intent of the bottling.

6. Cask type and cask numbers

Only fill the cask type when the information is given on the label. Keep it short and simple. Use terms such as Sherry, Sherry Octave, Bourbon barrel, or Sherry Finish.

Do not include wording like “matured in” and do not write long maturation chains. When there is a finishing period, normally only the finish cask should be entered in the cask type field (for example Sherry Finish instead of 3 Years Bourbon Cask and 6 Months Sherry Finish).

For the cask number, enter only the number as printed on the label and do not add “No.” or “#”. If there is not enough space in the field because of many cask numbers, you can write “see note” and add a detailed explanation in the notes, including differing filling years if needed.

Sometimes the same field is used for batch numbers, but when there are multiple batches, batch numbers should be moved to the bottle code field on different versions.

7. Bottle codes

Bottle codes are important for many users. Keep them as short as possible. If the bottling date is part of the bottle code, move that date to the bottling date field.

Do not keep the bottling time in the code.

For example, “L12 190 13:54 6ML” should become “L12 190” in the bottle code and the date and time should be handled in the correct date field or left out if not needed.

8. Versions, “bottled for,” label, market and barcodes

Bottles can be treated as versions of each other only if they share the same distillery, bottler, ABV, distillation date (if given), label style, and cask number (if given). If you add a version that only differs by special packaging, you can add “Gift Box” to the name and describe the box or included items in the label field.

Use the “bottled for” field when the label clearly states that the bottling was done for a specific shop, person, event, festival, or group.

Use the label field to add information that helps distinguish this bottle from similar ones, such as “misprint.” Even when the label is wrong, you still enter what is printed, for example distilled 2000, bottled 2010, aged 20, even though that is not mathematically correct.

The market field should be used with care. Some bottlings are widely available even if people think they are only for one country. Only fill this field when you have clear information.

A single bottling can have different barcodes. Do not overwrite barcodes. Instead, create a new version when a different barcode is confirmed.

Avoid repeating the same information across fields. For example, do not use both “bottled for Best Whiskyshop” and “Label: Best Whiskyshop” on the same entry.

9. General rules about what belongs in the database

Only enter information that appears on:

• The label (front, neck or back)

• The official packaging

• A leaflet included in the packaging

Any other details can be added as notes.

Sets of bottles should not be added as a single item. Instead, add each bottle individually.
Non whisky products should normally not be added. This includes spirits or liqueurs where whisky is not mentioned on the label or where extra ingredients such as hops, cream, sugar, or spices are added.

10. Reviewing and accepting changes

When you review changes:

• Do not change a name just because someone finds another version easier to search; follow the naming rules.

• Do not accept price changes unless they are supported by a shop link; Marketplace prices are not valid proof.

• Be careful when a user reports many fields as wrong. Often they are trying to create a new bottle through edits.

• Be careful with bottle code changes. This can also be a way to hide a new bottle as an edit.

If a user says the data does not match the image, check who uploaded the image. If the same user added the image and it does not match the original data, the solution is often to delete the image and deny the requested data change.

Never add a distillery or an age if they are not mentioned on the label.
Do not delete a bottle just because one user claims it does not exist. If possible, check with members who have it in their collection.

If you are unsure, look at similar bottles in the database or ask an administrator or experienced member before making changes.