About BarShelf

Our Story

BarShelf was born from a simple frustration. As a whisky and spirits enthusiast, I — Kohyun Lim, a solo developer based in Korea — couldn't find an app that truly did justice to my collection. I'd spend evenings exploring single malts, discovering local craft distilleries, and carefully selecting bottles on trips abroad, only to come home and realize I had no good way to remember what I'd tasted or what was sitting on my shelf. Every bottle carries a memory: a gift from a friend, a souvenir from a trip to Scotland, a special find at a tiny shop in Tokyo. I wanted something that honored those stories, not just another inventory list.

So I built BarShelf — alone, from scratch, writing every line of code myself. What started as a weekend side project in my Seoul apartment quickly grew into something much bigger. I taught myself mobile development, studied what made great apps feel great, and obsessively refined every pixel. Every feature — from the beautiful shelf UI with draggable fill levels to the AI Bartender that crafts cocktails from your actual inventory — was designed with one question in mind: "Would I love using this?" The answer had to be yes before anything shipped. No venture capital, no big team — just one developer's passion for spirits and code.

Today, BarShelf is rated 4.9 stars on the App Store, used by spirit enthusiasts in countries I never imagined reaching, and available in 8 languages. Seeing someone in Brazil archive a cachaça with detailed tasting notes, or a collector in Germany meticulously tracking their whisky shelf — those moments remind me why I built this. What started as solving my own problem became something that resonates with people who share the same love for the stories behind their bottles.

Our Mission

To help spirit enthusiasts curate and cherish their collection. "Cherishing" means more than just knowing what you own. It means remembering the nose of that peated Islay you opened on New Year's Eve. It means tracking how your palate has evolved from sweet bourbons to complex sherried single malts. It means having a beautiful digital record of the bottle your father gave you on your birthday — long after it's been emptied and the label has faded. Whether you have three bottles or three hundred, every one deserves to be remembered. BarShelf is the companion that turns your home bar from a shelf of bottles into a library of experiences.

What We Believe

We believe your collection is personal, and your app should respect that. BarShelf will never sell your data, show you ads, or push you to buy things you don't need. We believe in craftsmanship over speed — every feature is carefully considered before it ships. We believe the best apps are built by people who actually use them every day. And we believe that a solo developer in Korea can build something that resonates with spirit lovers everywhere, because passion for quality is a universal language.

BarShelf in Numbers

Get in Touch

Have feedback, a feature request, or just want to say hello? I'd love to hear from you. BarShelf is built by a real person who reads every single message.