Every barrel traceable. Your monthly TTB reports already drafted.
Put a QR sticker on every barrel and tank. When one is filled, gauged, moved, dumped, leaks or goes to bottling, whoever is there scans it with a phone and taps what happened. No app, no login. CaskTrail works out the proof gallons, keeps each barrel's history, traces every bottle lot back to the still, and turns the month's log into drafts of your TTB production, storage and processing reports.
For distilled spirits plants making whiskey, bourbon, rum, brandy or barrel-aged spirits, with anywhere from a few dozen to a few thousand barrels, where the records live on barrel heads, clipboards and spreadsheets.
Today, the records live on barrel heads and clipboards
Chalk on the barrel
Fill date, proof and weight are written on the head of the barrel and on a gauge sheet, when someone has a pen and the scale is working.
A spreadsheet per year
Someone types the sheets into a barrel spreadsheet, and the proof gallon formulas are copied from one tab to the next.
Report night on the 15th
Every month the owner rebuilds the month from the sheets to fill in three TTB reports, and chases the numbers that do not balance.
Where did this lot come from?
When a customer, an auditor or a recall asks which barrels went into a bottling, the answer takes an afternoon of digging.
Losses get worked out at the end, guesses creep in, and the barrel history is only as good as the handwriting on the head.
With CaskTrail
A QR sticker on every barrel and tank
Print the stickers from your account, one per barrel, tank and still. Scanning opens that barrel's form in the phone's browser: no app to install and no password for the crew. It is the same sticker-and-form idea as SpindleLog, our machine log for workshops.
Tap what happened
Filled, re-gauged, moved, dumped, loss or leak, bottled. Enter the proof and the weight or volume you measured, pick a reason for a loss, add a photo. Proof gallons are worked out for you, and the loss since filling is calculated at the dump.
Traceable lots and monthly drafts
Every bottle lot links back to its tanks, barrels and still runs. At month end you get drafts of the Reports of Production, Storage and Processing Operations and a taxable removals summary for your excise return, to check and file yourself.
Try it with one day in the rickhouse
A fictional distillery with 214 barrels. Nothing is recorded or sent.
Pick a scan from today:
Choose a scan to see what was tapped on the form. The report drafts below change as you go.
Tapped on the formBarrel B-0142 → Filled
- Spirit
- Bourbon whisky, new make
- From
- Still run SR-1014, mash bill 70/20/10
- Entry proof
- 120.0
- Weight
- Gross 498 lb, tare 117 lb, net 381 lb
50.0 wine gallons, 60.0 proof gallons entered into storage. B-0142 is now linked to still run SR-1014, so anything bottled from it can be traced back to that run.
Tapped on the formBarrel B-0031 → Dumped
- Filled
- Sept 2022 · 60.0 proof gallons at 120 proof
- Found at dump
- 128.6 proof, 44.0 wine gallons
- Into
- Tank T-2 · batch 26-10
56.6 proof gallons transferred to processing. The 3.4 proof gallons lost in four years (5.7%) are recorded as a storage loss, reason "evaporation". B-0031's whole history stays attached to batch 26-10.
Tapped on the formBarrel B-0077 → Leak or loss
- Reason
- Leaking barrel head
- Note
- Wet stain under rack 4, hoop tightened
- Photo
- 1 photo of the barrel head
Flagged for a re-gauge. CaskTrail does not guess the loss: it is measured when B-0077 is re-gauged or dumped, then recorded as a storage loss with the reason "leak" and Sam's photo.
Tapped on the formTank T-2 → Bottled
- Product
- Straight bourbon whiskey
- Bottles
- 1,140 × 750 ml at 90.0 proof
- Lot code
- L26-1014 (printed on the labels)
203.3 proof gallons bottled. Lot L26-1014 traces back to tank T-2, the six barrels dumped into it (B-0031 among them) and the still runs they were filled from in 2022.
| TTB report | Line in plain words | Proof gallons |
|---|---|---|
| TTB F 5110.40 · Production | Whisky produced on the still | |
| TTB F 5110.11 · Storage | Entered into storage (barrels filled) | |
| TTB F 5110.11 · Storage | Transferred to processing (barrels dumped) | |
| TTB F 5110.11 · Storage | Storage losses | |
| TTB F 5110.28 · Processing | Bottled |
Drafts only: you check every number and file the reports with TTB yourself · in the real dashboard every number opens the scans behind it
What CaskTrail doesn't do
It does one thing: keeps a complete, traceable record of every barrel, tank and bottle lot.
- It does not file anything with TTB or pay your excise tax: it prepares records and drafts, and you stay responsible for what you file
- It is not an ERP or accounting system: no sales, invoices, recipe costing or dry goods inventory
- It does not handle label approvals (COLAs), formulas or state reports at launch
- It never fills in a missing number: gauges that are missing or do not balance are flagged for you, not guessed
Pricing
One flat price per distillery, not per user or per barrel. Free 14-day trial. Prices in US dollars, taxes calculated at checkout.
Per distillery
One distilled spirits plant, with unlimited barrels, tanks and people. Several plants? Tell us on the waitlist.
- Unlimited barrels, tanks, scans and photos
- QR stickers for every barrel and tank, ready to print
- Proof gallons, losses and a full history per barrel
- Bottle lots traced back to barrels and still runs
- Monthly drafts of TTB F 5110.40, 5110.11 and 5110.28
- Taxable removals summary for TTB F 5000.24
- Export to Excel, and your barrel spreadsheet imported for you
Why not full distillery software?
Distillery management systems like Ekos, Whiskey Systems or ProofLogic cover production, inventory, sales and reports, and are priced to match. Report tools like TTB Tamer are cheaper but start from numbers typed in at a desk. CaskTrail starts where the records are made, at the barrel, so the month-end drafts come from what was actually measured. If you outgrow it, everything exports.
Questions
What records does a distillery have to keep for TTB?
A distilled spirits plant has to keep daily records of its production, storage and processing operations: what was produced, the gauge (proof and quantity) of spirits each time they go into or come out of storage, transfers, losses, and what was bottled. TTB uses these records to check your monthly reports and your excise tax, and they generally have to be kept for at least three years (27 CFR part 19). CaskTrail keeps them as dated scans for every barrel and tank, with who did what.
Which TTB reports does it draft?
The three monthly operations reports a distilled spirits plant files by the 15th of the following month: the Monthly Report of Production Operations (TTB F 5110.40), the Monthly Report of Storage Operations (TTB F 5110.11) and the Monthly Report of Processing Operations (TTB F 5110.28). It also totals taxable removals for your Excise Tax Return (TTB F 5000.24). You review the drafts and file them yourself.
Does it file my reports or pay my taxes?
No. CaskTrail prepares records and drafts. You check them against your own records, file them with TTB and pay the tax yourself, and you remain responsible for what is filed. It is not tax or legal advice.
How does it calculate proof gallons?
A proof gallon is one wine gallon at 100 proof, so proof gallons are wine gallons times proof divided by 100. You enter the true proof (corrected to 60°F) and either the wine gallons or the gross and tare weight of the barrel. For weights, CaskTrail uses the TTB gauging tables to convert pounds to wine gallons, the way a manual gauge does.
How do I trace a bottle back to the barrels it came from?
Each scan links a barrel to where its spirit came from and where it went: still run to barrel, barrel to tank, tank to bottling. Enter the lot code from the label and CaskTrail shows every tank, barrel and still run behind it, with dates and gauges. It works the other way too: pick a barrel and see which lots it ended up in.
How do I record barrel losses and the angel's share?
When a barrel is dumped, CaskTrail compares the proof gallons found with the proof gallons it was filled with and records the difference as a storage loss with a reason. Leaks and spills are logged when they are found, with a photo, and measured at the next gauge. Unusually large losses are flagged so you can look into them before the report goes in.
Do the crew need to install an app or log in?
No. The QR sticker opens the barrel's form in the phone's web browser. People add their name once on their phone and nothing else is needed. A shared tablet in the rickhouse works too.
We already have hundreds of barrels. How do we start?
Send us your barrel spreadsheet and we import it: barrel number, fill date, spirit, entry proof and proof gallons. Then print the stickers and put them on the barrels as you walk the racks. Barrels without a sticker yet can still be picked from a list.
How is it different from Ekos, Whiskey Systems, ProofLogic or TTB Tamer?
Ekos, Whiskey Systems and ProofLogic are distillery management systems that also cover inventory, sales and more, at a higher price. TTB Tamer prepares reports from numbers you type in. CaskTrail only keeps barrel, tank and lot records, captured on the floor with a QR scan, and drafts the monthly reports from them for one flat price. If you already run one of those systems well, you probably do not need CaskTrail.
Do you support wineries, cideries, breweries or farms?
We are starting with distilleries. Wineries and cideries with barrel programs are next. If you run a brewery, or a farm or food business keeping lot codes for the FDA food traceability rule (FSMA 204), tell us on the waitlist form and we will let you know when it fits.
How much does it cost?
$99 per month per distillery, with unlimited barrels, tanks and people. Free 14-day trial.
Which countries do you support?
We start with distilleries in the United States, with TTB reports and US units. If you are elsewhere, tell us on the waitlist form.
Who owns the data?
You do. Records are encrypted in transit and at rest, are used only to run your distillery's records, and can be exported to Excel at any time. See our security page for details.
When does it launch?
We are onboarding the first distilleries from the waitlist. Join to get early access and help shape it.
Join the waitlist
Tell us a little about your distillery. We will reach out when your spot opens.