Bevvy, the whisky discovery app founded in 2021 and based in Scotland, has closed a $1.5 million (£1.2m~) seed funding round.

The new investment principally comes from Scottish angel investors, existing shareholders, and a Denver-based family office.

Laurie Black, co-founder and head of whisky, commented: “Having already established the leading position in the digital whisky space; this new capital allows us to cement our market share and grow our consumer audience into new territories. We’re hugely excited to be heading Stateside in 2024!”

Founded three years ago by whisky expert Black, medtech entrepreneur Lucas Heron, and mathematician Atanas Tonchev, Bevvy is a tech-led platform that operates via consumer-facing Android and Apple mobile phone applications.

Users can utilise the app and the camera on their phone to scan the label of any whisky bottle and uncover tasting notes alongside indicative valuations for their collection.

At its heart is a proprietary image capturing software, supported by the world’s largest database of whiskies, numbering over 200,000 catalogued from the past 120 years of releases. The database includes 150,000 images and tracks retail and auction pricing whilst also monitoring market sentiment.

Over the past 12 months, Bevvy has begun to integrate whisky bar and pub data, whereby bar operators can scan the bottles they have available and publish a live menu.

The company has also begun to grow its presence in the US, and its database work to expand its catalogue of Bourbon bottles is currently underway. Part of its investment from US investors was predicated on a commitment to be live and active in the US market by the middle of 2024.

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On the new funding, Greg Gormley, finance director at Bevvy, said: “In one of the most challenging fundraising environments I can recall; Bevvy’s successful raise underlines its dominant and growing position as a critical tool among whisky consumers and collectors. The interest and demand in whisky is growing at a pace not seen before.”

Black further added: “This is an extraordinarily exciting time for us, we see thousands of bottle scans each and every week, we are gaining a fascinating insight into user taste preferences, price trends and industry strengths and weaknesses.

“Bevvy finds itself at the heart of a major shift in how consumers and collectors engage with this multi billion dollar market. 2024 is going to be a year of spectacular development and innovation.”