Tap and Drink: 7 Whisky Apps Made Just For You
Long ago, they say, a woman called Pandora opened a box. She was asked not to, but then, when did a note of caution stop the sands of chaos from flowing. It was told that the box unleashed terrible sorrows, disease and misfortune in the world. But think about it, a world without discord would have been really boring right?
When television came, it was termed the idiot box, an evil device set to dumb down human minds. We don’t know how those folks reacted when Google took centre-stage in our daily lives. It seems, all ‘evils’ are necessary – whether it be some alcohol, or the now ubiquitous smartphone. For long, the app market did not offer much to whisky lovers. But that isn’t the case anymore. Thanks to ever burgeoning developers and coders, whisky lovers can now tap through several apps.
1. Distiller: Perhaps one of the best android apps available to whisky lovers, Distiller lets you track whiskies, build your own wishlist, and build your own collection. iPhone or Android for free and you can also access the tools online.
2. Flaviar: Originally the Flaviar tasting pack is a paid service that ships you 5 samples of spirits each month so you can try a variety of Scotch, Whisky, Bourbon, Rum, Gin and other options. Now they have come up with an app. However, you don’t need to use that paid service to enjoy the app. Unfortunately this is only available on the iPhone, so if you are on Android you will need to use another option or sign up to be notified when it comes out.
3. Craft Bourbon: The Craft Bourbon app is basically an ad for the Buffalo Trace Distillery, but if you are tempted to get into Bourbon it is an amazing place to get some understanding and learn about the different tastes that Bourbon offers. The app walks you through creating a Bourbon recipe and explains how the different ingredients and amounts impact the flavour.
4. iDistillery: Ever wanted to know more about the distilleries themselves? This app has a ton of information at your fingertips. It is probably most useful for people travelling around Scotland or wanting to do a number of distillery tours, but it may hold interest to those interested in whisky history.
5. Whisky App: Although Whisky App’s interface is pretty basic looking it’s actually quite extensive and offers a no frills but informative little app which lets you rate whiskies, get advice and even write your own tasting, nosing and finish notes. It also allows you to browse a large database of whiskies, by name, region, taste and vintage. There’s also a wishlist option and a rated list.
6. Whisky Journal: This app is intended for the user to record his or her experiences in tasting. One of the awesome features it has is the ‘flavour radar’, which allows the user to rate the amount present of 15 different flavours. While I’m not sure I agree with the 15 flavours presented, it does represent an interesting and more objective way to describe whisky.
7. iMalt Scotch Whisky Companion: This is a database iOS app with information on Scottish malts and distilleries. The great thing about this is the inclusion of Cloud servers to store reviews and notes of people who use the app. Whisky reviews can then be shared with other people who use the app. This app only pertains to Scottish whiskies, so if you enjoy whiskies from elsewhere its best to use another app. For the extra social functionality you pay a fairly hefty price of $10.49.
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