QR codes have been in the media recently as major global retailers including Tesco in the UK have said they’re actively replacing barcodes with QR codes on their products in stores. It follows GS1, the global standards body behind every barcode, pushing for all retailers to adopt a new QR-based system by 2027 to meet the demands of modern retail operations today. In the US, the FDA is mandating 

 and under FSMA 204, companies must track products and provide full records within 24 hours by 2028. Walmart is already pushing suppliers on this and QR codes are emerging as a practical answer linking physical products to digital records.

This is a good reminder that the barcodes some distilleries and warehouses are still using in cask management today were never actually designed for the complexity and value of what they’re tracking. They’re a legacy technology. In cask management, QR codes have been used for a number of years with our 

distillery and inventory management platform

, but for many, barcodes, and all their limitations, remain.

So, with retail reminding us all what barcodes were intended for, and making moves towards greater transparency around the product information they share with shoppers, we’re taking a closer look at why barcodes aren’t fit for purpose for modern spirits operations today, and why the time for QR codes is now. Let’s dive in.

What’s the main difference between a QR code and a barcode?

In a nutshell, a barcode tells you what something is. A QR code tells you everything about it — where it came from, what’s gone into it, who owns it and what’s happened along the way. Exactly the kind of information you need in cask management today. Crucially, traditional barcodes hold just seven pieces of information. QR codes, on the other hand, can carry up to 4,000 characters which is enough to embed batch numbers, ABV, cask filling data, provenance data and ownership records all within a single digital record accessible via the scan of a QR code.

The amount of data QR codes can hold compared to a simple barcode is the reason why industries across the board are making the switch, and why we choose them every time over barcodes.

Barcodes were effectively built for shopping checkouts. QR codes were built for traceability. When provenance, compliance and transparency are high up on everyone’s agendas (which there’s no doubt they are today), the barcode’s limitations are now impossible to ignore. They are no longer fit for the job they’re meant for, and that’s driving distilleries and warehouses to move to more robust methods of storing and managing cask data and ultimately to QR codes.

How are QR codes used in distillery and cask management?

For producers and bonded warehouses who have implemented our system, they are using QR codes on all their inventory and assets as the foundation for better data management. QR codes are the gateway to our 

Digital Deeds, an innovation shortlisted in the DISCUS Innovation Showcase

 for their impact on transforming transparency in spirits operations. They are a unique digital record assigned to each cask — effectively a digital twin that stays with a cask for its entire life. Once a cask is filled, it’s paired with a QR code linking directly to a 

 containing ownership details, provenance, location, ABV, age. It provides a complete audit trail of what’s gone into making the liquid within the cask.

One scan on any mobile device and the cask’s full history is there. Online or offline. No paper trails or manual searches on spreadsheets. Just direct access to all information across production and maturation that stays with that asset through its various stages.

Whereas, a barcode would tell you a cask exists. A QR code, associated with a 

, tells you its entire story, its history and present state.

Gareth McAllister, Founder and Managing Director at 

 “We’ve got QR codes on every cask, so you can scan and instantly see its full history. No more paper records. No wondering what’s where. Owners know exactly what they have, where it is, and that it’s the real deal.”

What can a QR code do that a barcode can’t?

A barcode is an identifier. It points to a record held somewhere else. If that record sits in a spreadsheet, a legacy system or a paper log, the barcode is only as reliable as whatever’s behind it. It can’t carry context, history or ownership data.

A QR code on the other hand is a data carrier. It can link to a real-time digital record that’s updated as events happen and accessible to anyone with the right permissions.

: “Within half an hour to an hour we can have all casks assigned a Digital Deed and all cask data logged on the Proof 8 platform. Proof 8 has allowed us to remove the old certificate system around cask ownership. Now we have full visibility of a Digital Deed being transferred to the new owner. This is incredibly important for us, for the cask owner and for audit purposes for HMRC.”

This shift to greater transparency in retail is being driven largely by consumer demand, as well as new regulation and the need for better operational data. The spirits industry faces the same pressures with HMRC’s 

WOWGR reform demanding rigorous record-keeping from bonded warehouses

 and regulators across all markets demanding more rigorous record-keeping. Cask owners and managing agents now expect real-time proof of ownership and provenance and Digital Deeds deliver exactly that. Producers, on the other hand, are in need of greater access to accurate, real-time data across their entire production operations and maturation, and again, Digital Deeds deliver exactly that.

Stuart Maxwell, COO of Proof 8, says of the case for QR codes over barcodes in spirits, “It really becomes a compelling argument when you consider that a cask of whisky can be worth tens of thousands of pounds or hundreds of dollars, change ownership multiple times and is subject to regulatory scrutiny at every stage. If retailers are now concluding that barcodes can’t deliver the traceability their supply chains need for products with a shelf life of days, the case for QR codes on valuable assets maturing for years is even more of a consideration.”

Christopher Pateman, Commercial Director at 

. agrees saying traceability is the new standard in spirits, “Digital Deeds have given us complete visibility of every one of our casks — who owns it, where it is and what stage it’s at. This kind of transparency is now essential for everyone involved in whisky today.”

If you’re still relying on barcodes, spreadsheets or paper-based records to manage cask inventory today, now is a good time to see how modern operating systems like Proof 8 are future-proofing spirit operations with Digital Deeds. 

"Barcodes used in cask management today were never actually designed for the complexity and value of what they’re tracking. They’re a legacy technology that have their limitations. Now retail is phasing them out and that's raising questions for spirits. " 

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Why QR codes are replacing barcodes in every industry (including spirits)

Why QR codes are replacing barcodes in every industry (including spirits)

More from Proof 8

Platform

Marketplace

Connected Products Coming soon

About

Team

Careers

Why QR codes are replacing barcodes in every industry (including spirits)

More from Proof 8

Proof 8 is coming to ACSA Sacramento

We’re headed to the Worldwide Distilled Spirits Conference 2026

Digital Deeds: A top three finalist at the DISCUS Innovation Showcase

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