Distiller

What Distiller does

Distiller, Inc. is a Seattle-based consumer software company that operates the world's largest spirits discovery and review community, available via distiller.com and native iOS and Android apps. The platform enables consumers to search tens of thousands of spirits, read expert and user reviews, build personal collections and lists (Collection, Top Shelf, Wishlist), and follow other enthusiasts. Its core technology stack includes a structured database of UPCs, barcode scanning, a proprietary 84-flavor-tag taxonomy derived from more than 1.2 million user reviews and validated by a curated panel of industry experts called the Tasting Table, and a taste-based recommendation engine. Expert reviews are scored via The Distiller Score, a 0–100 rubric covering nose, taste, finish, and flavor profiles.

The company monetizes through a freemium subscription model. The free tier, supported by third-party display advertising via AdMob, AdSense, and AppLovin, provides access to core search, rating, and social features. Distiller Pro is priced at $48 per year or $4.99 per month and unlocks an ad-free experience, barcode scanning, flavor-based search and filtering, the TruePrice historical-value calculator, data export, private notes, and exclusive content such as the Bourbon Bulletin newsletter. Limited partner API access, social-login integrations (Apple, Facebook, Twitter), and Stripe-powered subscription billing round out the commercial infrastructure. The product ecosystem also includes companion apps GlassEye (cocktail recipes) and Flasky (camera-based bottle lookup).

The go-to-market motion is product-led and community-led: users discover the platform through app stores, organic search, social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), and word-of-mouth, then drive engagement via reviews, lists, and social following. Target customers are horizontal—primarily spirits enthusiasts and collectors ranging from casual beginners to seasoned veterans, with secondary segments including spirits industry professionals and brands/distilleries seeking review coverage. The company is privately held and founder-operated (co-founder and CEO Mikael Mossberg; co-founder and Chairman Brent Stiefel), with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or acquisition activity.

Name

Distiller

Legal name

Distiller, Inc.

Website

https://distiller.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Distiller, Inc. operates a spirits discovery and review community platform, accessible via web and mobile apps, that helps consumers search tens of thousands of spirits, read expert and user reviews, track personal collections, and receive taste-based recommendations, monetized through a freemium subscription and advertising model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spirits Discovery & Reviews Platform

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Craft Distilleries & Microdistilleries (THAFALAH)

Keywords

• Spirits discovery platform
• Whiskey reviews app
• Spirits community
• Bottle collection tracking
• Spirits recommendation engine

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Distiller Pro Subscription: Premium subscription at $48/year or $4.99/month providing ad-free experience, TruePrice calculator, flavor search, export functionality, exclusive content (Bourbon Bulletin newsletter), private notes, and Pro-only badge. Auto-renewing subscription with 30-day advance notification.
2. Advertising: Display advertising displayed to free tier users within the platform. Uses third-party ad partners including AdMob, AdSense, and AppLovin for targeted ads based on location and device information.
3. Partner API Access: Limited API access granted to select partners who reach out for integration purposes. Partners can access platform data through formal partnership agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Distiller is a spirits discovery and community platform available via web and mobile apps, enabling users to search tens of thousands of spirits, read expert and user reviews, scan barcodes, track personal collections, and receive personalized recommendations based on taste preferences. The platform monetizes through a freemium model with display advertising on the free tier and a $48/year Distiller Pro subscription unlocking ad-free experience, flavor search, barcode scanner, TruePrice valuation tool, and export functionality.

Product overview

Distiller operates as a unified spirits discovery and community platform comprising the core Distiller app/website plus premium Distiller Pro subscription features. The ecosystem also includes companion apps GlassEye (cocktail creation) and Flasky (intelligent spirits assistant). The Tasting Table provides expert reviews while user-generated reviews and social features enable community discovery. Distiller Pro unlocks advanced features including barcode scanning, flavor-based search, TruePrice valuation tools, and ad-free experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Distiller The world's largest spirits community and discovery platform. Available via web at distiller.com and via free mobile apps on iOS and Android. Users can search tens of thousands of spirits, read expert and user reviews, create custom lists (Collection, Top Shelf, Wishlist), follow other enthusiasts, and track their tasting activity. Free tier includes display advertising; Pro features are gated behind a paid subscription.
• Distiller Pro Premium subscription add-on for Distiller, priced at $48/year or $4.99/month. Provides an ad-free experience, barcode scanning with tens of thousands of verified UPCs, search and filtering by 84 flavor tags, TruePrice historical bottle and list value calculator, CSV export of lists and reviews, private notes, Pro badge, and exclusive content such as the Bourbon Bulletin newsletter. Auto-renewing with 30-day advance notification.
• GlassEye Companion app for creating cocktails, helping users learn cocktail recipes and level up their mixology skills.
• Flasky Intelligent companion app providing real-time answers to spirits questions using camera-based bottle lookup functionality.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BevMo!: BevMo! is a multi-category alcohol retailer with educational content and recommendations. It competes for the same spirits-shopping occasions as Distiller but via physical and online retail rather than a community review platform.
• Drizly: Drizly is an alcohol delivery marketplace (now owned by Uber) serving a broader beverage alcohol category. It sits in the same spirits ecosystem but solves a different problem (delivery) rather than discovery and reviews.
• Wine Enthusiast: Wine Enthusiast is an established wine media brand combining reviews, ratings, ecommerce, and content. It demonstrates the broader media-plus-retail model that a spirits-focused platform like Distiller could expand into.

Direct peers

• Vivino: Vivino is a wine-focused discovery and review platform with a barcode-scanning app and community reviews. It is the closest direct analog for Distiller in the wine category, sharing the same user-generated review and recommendation model.
• Flaviar: Flaviar is a spirits discovery and tasting club that combines curated tasting boxes with a review/discovery app. It overlaps with Distiller's enthusiast and collector use cases and adds e-commerce monetization, making it a direct competitor in the spirits discovery space.
• Untappd: Untappd is a beer-focused check-in, review, and discovery app with a large enthusiast community. It demonstrates the same social discovery model Distiller uses, and shows how a vertically-focused alcohol app can build a sizeable engaged community.
• Master of Malt: Master of Malt is a UK-based spirits retailer that publishes detailed user and editorial reviews alongside its e-commerce catalog. It overlaps with Distiller's discovery and review mission while adding a transactional retail layer.
• The Whisky Exchange: The Whisky Exchange is a major spirits retailer with extensive tasting notes and reviews on each product page. It shares Distiller's review/discovery focus while operating a transactional retail business.
• Whisky Advocate: Whisky Advocate is a long-running whisky review publication with a tasting/rating system and expert reviewers. It competes for the attention of serious spirits enthusiasts and overlaps with Distiller's Tasting Table expert content.

Emerging players

• Tastry: Tastry uses AI and chemistry-based flavor profiling to recommend wines and beer. It overlaps with Distiller's flavor-tagging and recommendation engine but applies the technology B2B to producers and retailers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drinkdistiller
• Facebookfacebook.com/drinkdistiller
• Instagraminstagram.com/drinkdistiller

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Distiller