Whisky IDs

Whisky IDs uniquely identify a whisky in our database. They serve as the linking pins to all whisky information, including ratings, auction results, and retail prices. There are two different types of Whisky IDs: "Whiskybase IDs" (prefix "WB") and "Bottle Group IDs" (prefix "BG").

Whiskybase IDs ("WB*")

Whiskystats builds on the Whiskybase bottle database. Each whisky in the Whiskybase database is identified by a "Whiskybase ID". To distinguish the Whiskybase ID from other IDs, "WB" is used as the prefix. If you provide just a number without a prefix, the Whiskystats Data API endpoints will interpret it as a Whiskybase ID.

Bottle Group IDs ("BG*")

Sometimes, when we map information to the whiskies in our database, the exact Whiskybase bottle cannot be identified due to missing information, such as bottle codes or barcodes. For these cases, Whiskystats groups together Whiskybase bottles that only differ in marginal details. These "Bottle Groups" are identified by a Bottle Group ID, which uses "BG" as the prefix.

Each bottle group has a "leading" Whiskybase ID. If certain information is mapped to a bottle group, but the specific context requires a Whiskybase ID (e.g., for linking back to Whiskybase), the leading Whiskybase ID is used for that purpose.

Whisky ID Changes

On rare occasions, a once-valid Whisky ID can become inactive. This happens when we need to merge duplicate whiskies or dissolve a bottle group. We track these changes, so when you query our Whisky Bottle endpoints, previously valid Whisky IDs will still work. To help you keep track of these changes, all of our Whisky Bottle endpoint responses contain the Whisky ID field. If the returned Whisky ID differs from the one sent in your request, you can update your internal system to stay aligned.