Liquor inventory app: count every bottle by scanning
By mise · Updated September 29, 2026
Quick answer: a liquor inventory app replaces the clipboard behind the bar: you scan each bottle's barcode with your phone, type full bottles and estimate open ones in tenths (or weigh them on a Bluetooth scale), and the app prices the count and works out usage and pour cost. mise does this with AI that finds the product from the barcode or a photo, so bottles need no setup; 7 days free, no card, then US$33 a month.
Bar inventory is where the money leaks: a couple of heavy pours a night and a bottle "on the house" add up to thousands a year. A liquor inventory app doesn't stop the pours — it shows you them, within a week, per bottle.
What a liquor inventory app should do
| Need | Clipboard / spreadsheet | Liquor inventory app |
|---|---|---|
| Identify the bottle | Read the label, find the row | Scan the barcode; name, brand, size and photo come back |
| Open bottles | Guess a fraction, write it down | Tap tenths on a picture of the bottle, or weigh it |
| By location | Separate sheets for well, back bar, storeroom | Count by location, roll up automatically |
| Value and usage | Type prices, build formulas | Priced from invoices; usage = opening + purchases − closing |
| Pour cost | Another spreadsheet | Usage at cost ÷ liquor sales, per period |
| Ordering | Eyeball the shelf | Par level per bottle, order list ready to send |
How a bar count works in mise
- Pick the location — well, back bar, walk-in, storeroom. Each is counted on its own and added up at the end.
- Scan the bottle. Point the camera at the barcode. The mise AI finds the product from the barcode or a photo and brings it back complete — Tito's 1.75 L is not the same as Tito's 750 ml, and the app knows. If a bottle isn't there, the AI identifies it and it's in your list for next time.
- Type the count. Full bottles as a number; the open bottle as tenths (0.4) — or put it on a Bluetooth scale and the app converts weight to volume using the bottle's tare.
- Finish. The count is priced at what you actually paid (from the invoices you photographed or uploaded), compared with the previous count, and turned into usage, variance and pour cost.
A 200-bottle back bar takes one person about 35–45 minutes the first time and 20–30 once the layout is familiar. The bit that used to take Sunday afternoon — typing it up — is gone.
Tenths or a scale?
Tenths are fine for most bars: on a 750 ml bottle a tenth is 75 ml, about two and a half pours, and the error averages out across a hundred bottles. Weighing is worth it for the top shelf and for anything you're investigating. mise supports both on the same count, so you can weigh the ten bottles that matter and tenth the rest.
Home bar
The same app works for a home bar or a collection: scan what's on the shelf, keep the count, see what you're low on. There's no separate "home" edition — you just use one location and skip the pour cost report.
iPhone, Android and the web
mise runs on iPhone and iPad (App Store), Android (Google Play) and in any browser, with the same account everywhere. Counting keeps working offline in a basement storeroom and syncs when you're back on Wi-Fi. A Bluetooth barcode scanner is supported if you'd rather not use the camera.
Price
The first 7 days are free, no card required and nothing held back. After that it's US$33 a month per business, with unlimited bottles, counts and users.
Scan the bottle, tap the tenths, done. Priced from your invoices, pour cost at the end. 7 days free, no card, then US$33 a month.
Start free
Related: how to do bar inventory, the liquor inventory sheet if you'd rather start on paper, and pour cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free liquor inventory app?
Fully free apps either cap the number of items or leave you typing bottle names by hand, which is where the time goes. mise is free for 7 days with everything included — scanning, tenths, scale, pour cost — and then US$33 a month. For a bar with a few hundred bottles, that is usually less than one lost bottle a week.
Is there a liquor inventory app for iPhone?
Yes — mise is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, on Google Play for Android, and runs in a browser on any computer. One account, same data everywhere.
Do I need a scale to do liquor inventory?
No. Counting open bottles in tenths is accurate enough for the weekly count and the pour cost figure. A Bluetooth scale helps on high-value bottles or when you are chasing a specific variance; mise supports both methods on the same count.
Does it work for a home bar?
Yes. Scan what is on the shelf and keep the count; there is no minimum size and no separate edition.
How long does a bar count take with an app?
Roughly 10 seconds a bottle once the layout is familiar: scan, type, next. A 200-bottle bar is 30–40 minutes for one person, and the count is priced and compared the moment you finish.