When delving into the world of Scottish whisky it can often feel a little overwhelming. Not everyone has the time to invest in learning every facet of the industry, or understanding every little process.
Thankfully there are plenty of handy apps out there that will help you to make better choices when it comes to picking whiskies, recording the ones you've tried or comparing different ones for when you want something new.
Here is our pick of five of the best Scottish whisky apps:
(Android, £2.99)
Whisky Companion describes itself as "a complete whisky guide for the curious amateur as well as for the experienced collector".
And it makes a serious stab at being just that, containing information on over 2,500 whiskies from 277 distilleries in 21 countries around the world. It's easy to use and lets you search by by country, region, name, or even by flavor profiles.
The app lets you rate, record and review whiskies as well as create wish lists and keep track of your own collections as well as any distilleries you might have visited.
This one is perhaps good for those who want information on each distillery and their bottlings but is lacking in decent expert reviews.
It’s a great app if you don’t want reviews so much as encyclopedic information and prices.
(Iphone and Android, £Free)
Picture: Distiller
Brent Stiefel and Mikael Mossberg didn’t know much about whisk(e)y when they met up for drinks in 2011. Like many people entering into the world of whisky they felt a little overwhelmed by all of the information and intimidated by 'whisky know it alls' so they decided to create their own app.
Pulling together a panel of experts called the Tasting Table, they have created an app that not only offers whisky recommendations, flavour notes and a wish list - handily known as the 'Top Shelf' - but also some great learning materials in handy blogs, information on the history of whisky and Tasting Table reviews.
A nice touch is the trending bottles section that lets you see particular whiskies that people are talking about (much like a stock exchange, with bottles appearing or disappearing from the list depending on their current popularity.
The only admittedly minor complaint is that a lot of the content is aimed more at American consumers which can be annoying if you're focusing on Scotch whisky.
(Iphone and Android, £Free)
WhiskyCast is an app that gives you access to WhiskyCast episodes - Mark Gillespie's expert podcast - with a simple click. Allowing users to listen to the latest weekly episode with the latest in whisky news, events and the “In-Depth” segment features interviews with the people who help make whisky the “water of life”.
The app also supplies a worldwide calendar of whisky events and access to Mark's tasting notes on hundreds of whiskies, as well as an interactive forum to see other users reviews, tasting notes and comments.
(Android, £Free)
Picture: Scottish whisky news
This one is perfect for those looking to keep up to date on all things whisky, with news on everything Scotch being delivered to their phones as they happen.
Hourly updates and an easy to read format as well as an ability to save and read news items offline make this a must have for those who love to be in the know.
A great touch is the ability to change the update interval meaning you don't have to feel overwhelmed with pings and push notifications and can take your news when you are ready.
(Android, £Free)
Picture: 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 an large database of whiskies, searching by name, region and taste as well as age and interestingly vintage. There's also a wishlist option and a rated list.
Definitely one for those who prefer to keep it basic.
