Last updated: June 2026
Whiskies & Brews · whiskiesandbrews.com · Operated by: K. Koehler, Alberta, Canada
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how Whiskies & Brews collects, uses and protects your personal information. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable Canadian privacy laws including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
2. Information We Collect
Information you provide directly:
- Name or display name / username
- Email address (used for account creation and login)
- Profile photo (optional)
- Declared credentials (e.g. Whisky Ambassador, Sommelier — optional)
- Visit entries including location names, addresses, dates, ratings and notes
- Photos you upload from your visits
Information collected automatically:
- GPS/location data when you use the "Use My Location" or "Locate Me" features (only when you actively use these features)
- Device type and browser information for app functionality
- Date and time of entries and account activity
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- Create and manage your account
- Display your entries on your personal collection and the community map
- Calculate your stats, badges and achievements
- Allow other community members to see your public profile and shared entries (based on your privacy settings)
- Improve the app and fix technical issues
- Respond to support requests
4. Information Sharing
With other users:
- Your username, profile photo, member since date, entry count, countries visited and earned badges are visible to other logged in users if your profile is set to public (default)
- Entries and photos you mark as "Share with Community" are visible on the community map and browse views
- Entries and photos you do not share with the community are visible only to you
- You can set your profile to private in your Passport settings at any time
With third parties:
- We do not sell your personal information to third parties
- We do not share your personal information with advertisers
- Your data is stored and processed through Base44 (our app platform) and their associated infrastructure. Base44's privacy policy applies to data storage and processing.
- We may disclose information if required by Canadian law or valid legal process
5. Public User Profiles
Your public profile lets other members see the person behind the visits you share. Profiles are public by default, and you can control what is visible at any time.
- Profiles are public by default. This includes your username, tier badge, join date, badges earned, and basic stats (locations visited, countries visited, and your top category)
- You may optionally add a short bio to your profile. If provided, your bio is also public
- You can control the visibility of additional profile sections individually via Settings: your visit history / collection, wishlist, and countries visited (Country Stamps) can each be hidden from public view
- You can also disable your public profile entirely via the "Public profile" toggle in Settings, making your profile inaccessible to other users
- Other members can reach your profile by tapping your username where it appears next to shared content (photos, notes, ratings) in the community view
6. Location Data
- Location data is only collected when you actively use the "Use My Location" or "Locate Me" features
- We do not track your location in the background
- Location coordinates associated with entries are stored to display pins on the community map
- You can add entries manually without using location features
7. Data Retention
- Your data is retained for as long as your account is active
- If you delete your account we will remove your personal information within a reasonable time
- Some data may be retained in backups for a limited period after account deletion
- Community entries you contributed may remain on the platform in anonymized form
8. Your Rights
Under Canadian privacy law you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate information
- Request deletion of your account and associated data
- Withdraw consent for optional data uses
- Ask questions about how your data is used
To exercise any of these rights use the Contact Admin feature in the app.
9. Data Security
- We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information
- Your account is protected by password authentication
- We do not store payment information (no purchases are currently processed through the app)
- No method of internet transmission is 100% secure — we cannot guarantee absolute security
10. Children's Privacy
Whiskies & Brews is intended for users of legal drinking age (18+ in Alberta). We do not knowingly collect information from minors. If you believe a minor has created an account please contact us immediately.
11. Cookies & Tracking
- The app may use basic session cookies necessary for login and app functionality
- We do not use advertising cookies or third party tracking cookies
- We do not use your data for targeted advertising
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of significant changes through the app. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact & Complaints
For privacy questions or concerns: Use the Contact Admin feature within the app or visit whiskiesandbrews.com
If you have unresolved privacy concerns you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (OIPC) at www.oipc.ab.ca
