Everything you need to get the most out of Bourbon Tracker™
Set up your account, add your first bottle, and learn the basics.
Adding, editing, tracking values, and organizing your bourbon.
How to scan bottles, fix scan errors, and get the most from the AI scanner.
Understanding MSRP, market value, and how to search live prices.
Tasting notes, the leaderboard, and connecting with fellow collectors.
Reading labels, understanding terms, BTAC explained, and a full glossary.
Tiers, upgrading, privacy, and managing your profile.
Pro tips for getting the most out of every feature in the app.
Try different keywords or browse the categories above.
Creating an account on Bourbon Tracker™ is free and takes less than a minute.
There are two ways to add bottles to your collection:
No download required. Bourbon Tracker™ runs entirely in your web browser. Just go to bourbon-tracker.com on any device.
For the best experience on iPhone or iPad, add it to your home screen:
Yes — your entire collection is stored securely in the cloud. Every bottle you add, every tasting note you write, and every price update is saved automatically.
You can log in from any device at any time and your collection will be exactly as you left it. There is no local-only storage — everything lives in our secure database.
By default, your leaderboard entry shows as "Collector." Here's how to set your name:
The full name of the bourbon. Use the autocomplete to match it to our database for automatic pricing.
Who made it. Note that some brands are produced at a different distillery than the label suggests — for example, Weller is made at Buffalo Trace.
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price — what the bottle is supposed to sell for at retail.
What you actually paid for the bottle. This may be above or below MSRP depending on availability.
The current secondary market value — what the bottle actually sells for between collectors. For allocated bottles, this is often significantly higher than MSRP.
What you charge (or would charge) per pour. Enter the 1oz price and the 2oz price auto-calculates as double.
The alcohol content. Proof = 2x ABV%. So 100 proof = 50% alcohol.
How many years the bourbon was aged in the barrel. Not all bourbons have an age statement.
How many of this bottle you own. You can track multiple bottles of the same expression.
Sealed (unopened) or Open. Helps you track what's available to pour.
Tap any bottle in your collection to open its detail view. From there you'll see options to Edit or Delete the bottle.
The Vault is your record of bottles you've finished. Instead of deleting a bottle when you've consumed it, move it to The Vault to preserve your drinking history.
The Vault tracks:
Over time, The Vault becomes a fascinating record of your bourbon journey.
The Wishlist lets you track bottles you want to acquire. Add any bottle to your wishlist and it will track the current market value so you know when pricing changes.
Access the Wishlist from the Wish List tab in the navigation bar.
The Menu view shows your collection as a table — perfect for sharing at a tasting or quickly seeing all your bottles at once. You can toggle which columns appear using the column selector at the top.
Available columns include: Proof, Age, MSRP, Market Value, Rating, Status, Pour Price, Vintage, and Notes.
Bourbon Tracker™ automatically calculates the total estimated market value of your collection based on the market values in our database. You'll see this on your leaderboard card and collection summary.
This value reflects secondary market prices — what your bottles could realistically sell for between collectors — not what you paid for them.
Yes. When adding a bottle, set the Bottles field to however many you own. The app will count them all toward your total collection count and value.
You can also add the same bottle multiple times as separate entries if they have different purchase dates, prices, or notes.
The Bourbon Tracker™ label scanner uses AI to read the text on a bourbon label and identify the bottle. Here's what happens:
Scan limits depend on your subscription tier:
Bottles can always be added manually using the autocomplete search — manual entry doesn't count against your scan limit.
If the scanner misidentifies a bottle, you can correct it before saving:
This happens when the scanner identifies a bottle that isn't yet in our database. The bottle was added to your collection but without MSRP or market value.
To add pricing manually:
We update our database regularly based on what users are scanning. Bottles that are frequently scanned with no match get added in our weekly updates.
This is the price the distillery suggests retailers charge. For example, Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year has an MSRP of $299.
This is what the bottle actually sells for between collectors on the secondary market. Pappy 23 Year has a market value of $3,000+ because demand far exceeds supply at retail.
For common bourbons, MSRP and market value are close together. For allocated and rare bourbons, market value can be 10x or more above MSRP.
The Market Search on the Market tab lets you search any bottle and instantly see:
Bourbon Tracker™ links to licensed third-party sellers and auction houses only. We do not facilitate transactions or take any fees. Laws regarding private alcohol sales vary by state — always buy from licensed retailers.
When adding a bottle, enter your 1oz Pour Price and the 2oz price calculates automatically as double.
To calculate a fair pour price, consider:
Example: You paid $60 for a bottle. $60 ÷ 25 = $2.40 per oz cost. A 1oz pour price of $8-$12 is reasonable for a quality bourbon.
Your note will appear in the community feed immediately, visible to all Bourbon Tracker™ users.
The leaderboard ranks all Bourbon Tracker™ collectors across three categories:
Your collection updates in real time. The leaderboard refreshes when you tap the Refresh button.
Currently, the leaderboard shows your ranking relative to other collectors but individual collections are private. Community tasting notes are public and visible to all users.
Future updates will include optional public profile pages for collectors who want to share their full collection.
The Calendar tab tracks upcoming and recent limited releases so you never miss an allocation. It covers major annual releases including:
We update the calendar weekly as new releases are announced.
The brand name (e.g. Elijah Craig) and expression name (e.g. Small Batch). Sometimes the distillery name is different from the brand name.
If present, this tells you the minimum number of years the bourbon was aged. "12 Year" means every drop is at least 12 years old. No age statement (NAS) means the distillery isn't required to disclose — often younger whiskey.
Proof = 2x alcohol by volume (ABV). 90 proof = 45% ABV. Cask strength or barrel proof bourbons are bottled without dilution and can exceed 130 proof.
Straight Bourbon, Small Batch, Single Barrel, Bottled in Bond, Wheated Bourbon, High Rye, etc. Each has specific legal requirements.
The brand you see on the label (e.g. Weller, Blanton's) may be different from the distillery that produced it (Buffalo Trace). Many brands are made at the same distillery.
Bottled in Bond (BiB) is one of the oldest and most regulated whiskey standards in America, established by the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. To carry this designation, a bourbon must meet all of these requirements:
BTAC stands for Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — an annual release of five ultra-premium bourbons from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Released each fall, the collection consists of:
BTAC bottles have MSRPs of $99-$130 but regularly sell on the secondary market for $400-$700+. They are allocated through a lottery or first-come system at licensed retailers — making them nearly impossible to find at retail price.
The Van Winkle family collection — often called "Pappy" — is the most sought-after bourbon in the world. Produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery under a partnership with the Van Winkle family, the lineup includes:
Pappy 23 Year has an MSRP of $299 but commonly sells for $2,500-$4,000 on the secondary market. Finding it at retail requires extreme luck, personal relationships with retailers, or winning a lottery allocation.
A mashbill is the recipe of grains used to make a bourbon. By law, bourbon must contain at least 51% corn. The remaining grains (called "small grains") give each bourbon its character:
15 bottles, 15 onboarding scans, 2 scans per month. Perfect for getting started.
50 bottles, 50 onboarding scans, 10 scans per month. For the serious hobbyist.
Unlimited bottles, 100 scans per month. For dedicated collectors with large collections.
Everything in Collector plus 25 member accounts. Perfect for bourbon clubs and groups.
Your upgrade takes effect immediately. No waiting period.
Your collection is private by default. Only you can see your bottles, purchase prices, and personal notes.
The following is public:
Bourbon Tracker™ does not sell your data to third parties. We do not display advertising.
To delete your account, email us at support@bourbon-tracker.com and we will remove your account and all associated data within 48 hours.
Note: account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Your collection, tasting notes, and all data will be permanently removed.
The community tasting notes are most valuable when they're specific and honest. Here's a framework:
Swirl gently, let it breathe for a minute. Common descriptors: vanilla, caramel, oak, dried fruit, honey, spice, chocolate, leather, tobacco, floral.
Take a small sip and let it coat your mouth. Note the flavors that arrive first, then what develops. How sweet vs. spicy? Light vs. full-bodied?
What flavors remain after swallowing? How long do they last — short, medium, or long? Warming or cooling?
Use the 0-100 scale consistently. 85-89 is very good, 90-94 is excellent, 95+ is exceptional.
The Menu tab is designed to be shown to guests. Here's how to use it effectively:
To get the most accurate collection value:
Allocated bourbons (BTAC, Pappy, Four Roses LE, etc.) are notoriously difficult to find at retail. Here are proven strategies: