faq

Quick answers to common questions about MyWhiskyVault.

Account Questions

How do I create an account?

Visit mywhiskyvault.com and click "Sign Up". You can:

  • Sign up with email (requires email verification)

  • Sign in with GitHub (OAuth)

Both options are free to start!

Learn more: Getting Started Guide

Can I use social login?

Yes! Currently supported:

  • ✅ GitHub

Coming soon:

  • Google

  • Facebook

  • Apple

Benefits:

  • Faster signup

  • No password to remember

  • Secure OAuth authentication

How do I delete my account?

Contact supportEmail support@mywhiskyvault.com and request account deletion.Confirm your emailProvide and confirm your email address as part of the request.Account deletionAccount and all data will be permanently deleted.

⚠️ Warning: This cannot be undone. All bottles, tastings, and data will be lost.

Alternative: Cancel subscription and keep account (data preserved, downgrade to free tier)

Can I have multiple accounts?

Technically yes, but not recommended.

Each email/OAuth login creates a separate account. However:

  • Data doesn't sync between accounts

  • Subscriptions are per-account

  • Wastes subscription allowances

Better approach: Use a single account with unlimited bottles tier (Connoisseur)

Can I change my email address?

Currently: Contact support to change email

  • Email support@mywhiskyvault.com

  • Provide old and new email

  • Verify both addresses

  • Support will update

Subscription Questions

What's included in the free tier?

Neophyte (Free) includes:

  • Up to 10 bottles

  • Basic tasting notes

  • Collection viewing and filtering

  • Barcode scanning

  • Basic search

  • Community features (viewing)

Limitations:

  • Limited reporting

  • Can't share tastings publicly

  • Basic support

Learn more: Subscription Guide

How many bottles can I store?

By Tier:

  • Neophyte (Free): 10 bottles

  • Enthusiast: 25 bottles

  • Connoisseur: Unlimited

What counts as a bottle:

  • Any bottle in your vault (any status)

  • Empty and sold bottles count toward limit

  • Virtual bottles don't count

What reports are available?

Free Tier:

  • ✅ Vault Summary Report

Enthusiast:

  • ✅ Vault Summary Report

  • ✅ Acquisition History Report

  • ✅ Basic Appraisal Report

Connoisseur:

  • ✅ All reports

  • ✅ Custom formatting (coming soon)

  • ✅ Advanced analytics (coming soon)

  • ✅ Export options (coming soon)

Learn more: Reports Guide

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes! No contracts or commitments.

When you cancel:

  • No future charges

  • Access continues until period end

  • Downgrade to free tier after expiration

  • All data preserved

Reactivate anytime - your data is never deleted.

Learn more: Subscription Guide - Canceling

Do you offer refunds?

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

  • Full refund within 30 days of initial subscription

  • No questions asked

After 30 Days:

  • Monthly plans: No refunds after billing

  • Annual plans: Prorated refunds (case-by-case)

To request refund: Email support@mywhiskyvault.com

Data Privacy and Security

Is my data private?

Yes! Your data is private by default.

What's Private:

  • Your bottle collection

  • Purchase prices and values

  • Storage locations

  • Tasting notes (unless you choose to share)

  • Personal information

What's Shared (Optional):

  • Public tasting notes (if you enable sharing)

  • Distillers/expressions you create (if marked public)

Who Can See My Data:

  • Only you (and admins for support purposes)

  • Your choice to make tastings public

Who can see my collection?

Your bottle collection is always private.

Only visible to:

  • You

  • MyWhiskyVault administrators (for support only)

Not visible to:

  • Other users

  • Search engines

  • Public

Sharing options:

  • Generate reports to share (you control distribution)

  • Make individual tastings public (doesn't share bottle details)

How is payment information secured?

We never see or store your payment information.

Security measures:

  • All payments processed by Stripe

  • PCI DSS compliant

  • Industry-standard encryption

  • MyWhiskyVault never accesses card details

Stripe handles:

  • Payment processing

  • Card storage

  • Security compliance

You're protected by:

  • Stripe's fraud detection

  • Secure checkout process

  • Industry best practices

Can I make my tastings public?

Yes! Please do! Share tasting notes with the community.

When creating tasting:

  • Check "Share this tasting" box

For existing tastings:

  • Edit tasting

  • Enable sharing

  • Save

What gets shared:

  • Your tasting notes and scores

  • Flavor profiles

  • Expression information

What stays private:

  • Your bottle purchase details

  • Storage location

  • Personal information

  • Full profile

Learn more: Recording Tasting Notes - Sharing

Features and Functionality

How does barcode scanning work?

Enter or scan barcodeManually enter, scan or upload a photo of the UPC barcode. A cheap USB barcode scanner (~$30) works well.LookupMyWhiskyVault looks up the product in the goUPC.com database.Extract detailsThe app extracts whisky information (distiller, expression, age, ABV, size).Pre-fill formIt pre-fills the bottle creation form with the extracted data.Confirm and saveYou confirm and add bottle-specific details.

What you need:

  • UPC barcode on bottle or box

  • Camera (for live scanning on mobile) OR clear photo

  • Internet connection

Learn more: Managing Bottles - Barcode Scanning

Can I track bottles I don't own?

Yes! Use Virtual Bottles.

Perfect for:

  • Tasting at friend's house

  • Samples from bars/restaurants

  • Whisky events and tastings

  • Bottles you're considering buying

How it works:

  • Create virtual bottle with text description

  • Record tasting notes

  • Not linked to your physical collection

  • Appears in tasting journal

Learn more: Recording Tasting Notes - Virtual Bottles

Can I export my data?

Depends on subscription tier:

Free (Neophyte):

  • ❌ Limited export

Enthusiast:

  • ✅ PDF reports

  • ✅ Basic data export

Connoisseur:

  • ✅ Full data export

  • ✅ All reports

  • ✅ Multiple formats

How do I track bottle value changes?

Add initial priceAdd initial purchase price when creating the bottle.Update appraisalUpdate appraisal value periodically.Set appraisal dateSet the appraisal date for each valuation.Generate reportsGenerate appraisal reports to see changes over time.

Tips:

  • Update annually for insurance

  • Track rare bottles quarterly

  • Use reports to see appreciation

Learn more: Tips & Tricks - Appraisal Tracking

Import and Export

Can I import my collection from a spreadsheet?

Because MyWhiskyVault has a proprietary data model, not all data from other apps is importable. If you have a large collection, contact us to discuss importing your data. We may need to do field translation, default data injection, and other modifications to import your collection. We cannot guarantee that your data will be importable.

For Connoisseur users:

  • Contact support with your spreadsheet

  • We'll assist with bulk import

  • Supported formats: CSV, XLSX

For Free/Enthusiast users:

  • Manual entry required

  • Consider upgrading for import assistance

  • Use barcode scanning to speed up entry

What format are exports?

Reports: PDF format

Data exports (Connoisseur only):

  • CSV (spreadsheet compatible)

  • JSON (for developers)

  • Excel (XLSX)

Can I backup my data?

Automatic backups:

  • MyWhiskyVault maintains backups of all data

  • No action needed from you

Manual backups (recommended):

  • Generate Vault Summary Report regularly

  • Download and store PDF

  • Keep multiple copies

  • Update annually

Mobile and Apps

Is there a mobile app?

Currently: No native mobile app

Mobile web app:

  • ✅ Works in mobile browser

  • ✅ Responsive design

  • ✅ Touch-optimized

  • ✅ Camera scanning

  • ✅ Full functionality

What features work on mobile?

Full feature parity:

  • ✅ Add, edit, delete bottles

  • ✅ Barcode scanning (camera)

  • ✅ Record tasting notes

  • ✅ View collection

  • ✅ Search and filter

  • ✅ Generate reports

  • ✅ Manage subscription

Mobile advantages:

  • Camera barcode scanning

  • Scan at liquor stores

  • Photo upload

  • On-the-go access

Can I use MyWhiskyVault offline?

No, you must be connected to the internet to use MyWhiskyVault.

Which browsers work best on mobile?

iOS:

  • Safari ✅ (recommended)

  • Chrome ✅

  • Firefox ✅

Android:

  • Chrome ✅ (recommended)

  • Firefox ✅

  • Samsung Internet ✅

Features requiring specific browsers:

  • Camera scanning works in all modern browsers

  • Some features may require latest browser versions

Community and Support

How do I contact support?

Email: support@mywhiskyvault.com

Response times:

  • Neophyte: 48-72 hours

  • Enthusiast: 24-48 hours

  • Connoisseur: 12-24 hours

Include in your email:

  • Account email

  • Problem description

  • Steps you've tried

  • Screenshots if helpful

Is there a user forum?

Coming soon!

Currently:

  • GitHub Issues for bug reports

  • Email support for questions

  • Community tasting notes (shared tastings)

Planned:

  • User forum

  • Discussion boards

  • Whisky club features

Can I contribute to the database?

Yes! We encourage community contributions.

What you can contribute:

  • New distillers (these will be vetted and marked as public)

  • New expressions (these will be vetted and marked as public)

  • Shared tasting notes

  • Feature suggestions

  • Bug reports

Quality contributions:

  • Accurate information

  • Complete details

  • Verified data

  • Helpful to community

Every new distiller, bottler, and expression record that you add to our database and is verified will gain you a data entry credit. Collect 10 data entry credits for a one-month extension to your paid subscription.

How are distillers/expressions verified?

Verification process:

  • User creates distiller/expression

  • Marked as "Unverified" initially

  • Admin reviews for accuracy

  • Marked as "Verified" if accurate

  • Available to all users

Why it matters:

  • Ensures data quality

  • Prevents duplicates

  • Maintains database integrity

How do I suggest a new feature?

Email supportEmail support@mywhiskyvault.com with "Feature Request" in the subject.Describe the featureDescribe the feature and explain how it would help you.Provide examplesProvide examples if applicable.Or use GitHubCreate a GitHub issue (if repository is public) and tag it as "Feature Request".

We review all suggestions!

What features are coming soon?

In Development:

  • Native mobile apps (iOS/Android)

  • Self-service data import

  • Google and Apple OAuth

  • Advanced analytics

  • Whisky club features

  • User forums

Planned:

  • Bottle value tracking charts

  • Collection insurance integration

  • Whisky recommendations

  • Social features

  • Advanced reporting

Follow updates:

  • Check blog for announcements

  • Follow on social media

  • Subscribe to newsletter

Still Have Questions?

Check our other guides:

Contact support:

Last Updated: 2025-11-16

Last updated