Distillers, Bottlers, and Expressions

Learn how MyWhiskyVault organizes whisky information and how to work with distillers, expressions, and bottlers.

The MyWhiskyVault Data Model

Understanding how whisky information is organized helps you use MyWhiskyVault effectively.

The Hierarchy

Distiller (Company) ────────┐
                            ├──> Expression (Specific Product)
Bottler (Company, Optional) ┘         ↓
                                Bottle (Your Physical Bottle)
                                      ↓
                                Tasting (Your Experience)

Example 1 (Standard Bottling):

  • Distiller: Glenfiddich

  • Expression: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Single Malt

  • Bottler: (none - distillery bottled)

  • Bottle: Your 750ml bottle purchased at Total Wine for $45

  • Tasting: Your notes from tasting it on New Year's Eve

Example 2 (Independent Bottling):

  • Distiller: Laphroaig

  • Expression: Laphroaig 15 Year Old

  • Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

  • Bottle: Your bottle of Laphroaig whisky bottled by Gordon & MacPhail

  • Tasting: Your tasting notes

Why This Matters

  • One distiller can produce many expressions

  • One expression always has a distiller, and optionally a bottler

  • One expression can have many bottles (same whisky, different purchases)

  • One bottle can have multiple tastings (track how it evolves)

  • Bottlers source whisky from distillers and release under their own label

What is a Distiller?

A distiller is the company that manufactures whisky.

Examples:

  • Glenfiddich (Scotland)

  • Maker's Mark (USA)

  • Yamazaki (Japan)

  • Jameson (Ireland)

What Distiller Information Includes:

  • Name (e.g., "The Macallan Distillery")

  • Country (Scotland, USA, Japan, etc.)

  • Region (Speyside, Islay, Kentucky, etc.)

  • Location (City or address)

  • Description (History and background)

  • Website URL

  • Logo/photo

Global vs Personal Distillers

Global Distillers (userId = null):

  • Created by administrators

  • Verified and accurate

  • Available to all users

  • Examples: Major distilleries like Glenfiddich, Buffalo Trace

Personal Distillers (created by you):

  • Private by default

  • Can be made public to share with community

  • Useful for small/craft distilleries not yet in database

What is an Expression?

An expression is a specific whisky product from a distiller.

Examples:

  • Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

  • Laphroaig Quarter Cask

  • Maker's Mark Cask Strength

  • Yamazaki 18 Year Old

Expression Details

Basic Information:

  • Name: Product name

  • Distiller: Who made it (required)

  • Whisky Type: Single Malt, Blended, Bourbon, Rye, etc.

  • Age: Age statement in years (if applicable)

  • ABV: Alcohol by volume percentage

Advanced Information:

  • Distilled Year: When it was distilled

  • Bottled Year: When it was bottled

  • Maturation Barrel: Primary aging barrel (ex-bourbon, sherry, etc.)

  • Finishing Barrel: Additional finishing (port, rum, wine casks)

  • Independent Bottler: If bottled by a company other than the distiller

  • Description: Tasting notes from the distiller

One Expression, Many Bottles

You might have multiple bottles of the same expression:

  • Backup bottle (still sealed)

  • Open bottle (currently tasting)

  • Empty bottle (finished, for records)

Each bottle is tracked separately in your vault.

What is an Independent Bottler?

An independent bottler (IB) is a company that bottles whisky produced by distillers.

How It Works:

  • Distiller produces the whisky

  • Independent bottler purchases casks

  • Bottler ages and/or finishes the whisky

  • Bottler releases under their own label

Examples of Independent Bottlers:

  • Gordon & MacPhail

  • Signatory Vintage

  • Cadenhead's

  • The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

When to Use the Bottler Field:

  • The label shows a bottler name different from the distiller

  • It's a single cask or small batch from an IB

  • The bottle explicitly states "Bottled by..."

Example:

  • Distiller: Laphroaig

  • Expression: Laphroaig 15 Year Old

  • Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

  • This is Laphroaig whisky, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail

What is a Bottle?

A bottle is your physical bottle of whisky - the actual container in your collection.

Key Concept: Multiple bottles can exist for the same expression.

How Bottles Relate to Expressions

One Expression, Many Bottles:

  • You might buy the same whisky multiple times

  • Each purchase is a separate bottle in your vault

  • Each bottle is tracked independently

Examples:

  • Bottle 1: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, purchased Jan 2023, unopened, stored in cabinet

  • Bottle 2: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, purchased Mar 2024, open, stored on bar

  • Bottle 3: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, purchased Jun 2024, empty (finished)

All three bottles are the same expression (Glenfiddich 12 Year Old), but each is a unique bottle with its own:

  • Purchase details

  • Status (unopened, open, empty, sold)

  • Storage location

  • Tasting history

  • Photo

What Bottle Information Includes

Always Required:

  • Expression: What whisky it is (links to one expression)

  • Bottle Size: Volume (50ml, 750ml, 1L, etc.)

Recommended:

  • Storage Location: Where you keep it

    • "Living Room Bar, Top Shelf"

    • "Basement Cabinet 2, Shelf A"

    • "Kitchen, High Cabinet"

Purchase Details (Optional):

  • Purchase Location: Store or retailer name

  • Purchase Price: What you paid

  • Purchase Date: When you bought it

Appraisal (Optional):

  • Appraisal Value: Current estimated worth

  • Appraisal Date: When last valued

  • Useful for insurance and tracking appreciation

Status:

  • Unopened: Still sealed, never opened

  • Open: Opened and available to drink

  • Empty: Finished, no whisky left

  • Sold: No longer in your collection

Additional:

  • Photo: Image of your actual bottle

  • Tasting Notes: Multiple tastings can be recorded for one bottle

Why Track Individual Bottles?

Status Tracking:

  • Know what's available to drink (open bottles)

  • Track what you've finished (empty bottles)

  • See what's still sealed (unopened bottles)

Collection Value:

  • Track purchase prices

  • Update appraisals over time

  • See collection appreciation

  • Generate reports for insurance

Tasting Evolution:

  • Record multiple tastings of same bottle

  • Track how whisky changes after opening

  • Compare first pour to last pour

  • See oxidation effects over time

Organization:

  • Remember where bottles are physically stored

  • Find bottles quickly in large collections

  • Plan which to open next

Bottles vs Expressions: What's the Difference?

Expression
Bottle

The whisky product itself

Your physical copy of that product

Shared by all users

Unique to your collection

One entry in database

Multiple entries possible (same expression, different bottles)

Describes the whisky (age, ABV, etc.)

Describes your ownership (purchase, storage, status)

Created once

Created each time you buy

Think of it like:

  • Expression = A book title (e.g., "Harry Potter")

  • Bottle = Your physical copy of that book (could have multiple copies)

Creating Distillers

When adding a bottle, you might need to create a new distiller.

When to Create

Create a new distiller when:

  • It's not in the database yet

  • It's a small or craft distillery

  • It's a new distillery

Don't create duplicates! Search thoroughly first — the distillery might be listed under a different name.

How to Create

1

From Bottle Creation

  • Click "Add Bottle" → "Manual Entry"

  • Search for distiller

  • If not found, click "Create New Distiller"

2

Required Information

  • Name: Official distillery name

3

Recommended Information

  • Country: Select from dropdown

  • Region: Whisky-producing region

  • Description: Brief history or description

4

Optional Information

  • Location: Full address or city

  • Website: Official distillery website

  • Image: Logo or distillery photo

  • Status: Active, Closed, Mothballed, etc.

5

Make It Public?

  • Private (default): Only you can see and use this distiller — good for personal/custom entries

  • Public: Share with the MyWhiskyVault community — helps other users find the distillery and builds the shared database

Tip: Make distillers public if they're legitimate distilleries that others might search for!

Creating Expressions

Most bottles require creating a new expression, since each specific product is unique.

When to Create

Create a new expression when:

  • The specific whisky product isn't in the database

  • It's a new release or limited edition

  • It's a different age or finish from existing expressions

Search first! The expression might be listed with slight variations in name.

How to Create

1

From Bottle Creation

  • After selecting distiller

  • Search for expression

  • If not found, click "Create New Expression"

2

Expression Form Tabs

Use the form tabs to enter essential and advanced details.

General Tab (Essential Information)

Required:

  • Name: Expression name (e.g., "12 Year Old", "Cask Strength")

  • Whisky Type: Select from dropdown

    • Single Malt Scotch

    • Blended Scotch

    • Bourbon

    • Rye

    • Irish Whiskey

    • Japanese Whisky

    • And more...

Recommended:

  • Age: Age statement in years (leave blank for NAS - No Age Statement)

  • ABV: Alcohol percentage (e.g., "40%", "43%", "57.3%")

  • Description: Official tasting notes or your description

Tips for Creating Expressions

Be Specific:

  • "12 Year Old" not just "Glenfiddich"

  • "Cask Strength Batch 003" not just "Cask Strength"

Include Key Details in Name:

  • Age statement

  • Special editions (e.g., "Special Release 2024")

  • Barrel types if unique (e.g., "Sherry Cask Finish")

Use Consistent Formatting:

  • Follow existing naming patterns

  • "12 Year Old" not "12YO" or "Aged 12 Years"

Verify Information:

  • Check official distillery website

  • Confirm ABV and age from bottle label

  • Get accurate barrel information

Searching and Browsing

Browsing Distillers

Access:

  • Click "Distillers" in main menu

What You'll See:

  • List of all distillers (global + yours)

  • Search and filter options

  • Country and region filters

View Distiller Details:

  • Click a distiller card

  • See all expressions from that distiller

  • View distillery information

Browsing Expressions

Access:

  • Click "Expressions" in main menu

What You'll See:

  • List of all expressions

  • Filter by distiller

  • Filter by whisky type

  • Search by name

View Expression Details:

  • Click an expression card

  • See all details

  • See how many users have this expression

  • See community tasting notes (if shared)

Fuzzy Search

MyWhiskyVault uses "fuzzy" search that finds close matches:

Examples:

  • Typing "Glenfid" finds "Glenfiddich"

  • Typing "Macalan" finds "The Macallan"

  • Typing "Makers" finds "Maker's Mark"

Tips:

  • Try partial names if full name doesn't work

  • Remove apostrophes and special characters

  • Try alternate spellings

Filter by Country

Available Countries:

  • Scotland

  • United States

  • Ireland

  • Japan

  • Canada

  • India

  • Taiwan

  • And more...

Use Case:

  • Explore Scotch whiskies

  • Find American bourbons

  • Discover Japanese distilleries

Filter by Region

Scottish Regions:

  • Speyside

  • Islay

  • Highlands

  • Lowlands

  • Campbeltown

  • Islands

American Regions:

  • Kentucky

  • Tennessee

  • And more...

Use Case:

  • Compare regional styles

  • Find similar flavor profiles

  • Explore terroir influence

Related Guides

Last Updated: 2025-11-16

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