A Variant is a producer‑branded, packaged version of a Drink that is intentionally distinguished from the parent by vintage year or by a clearly printed variant name such as hop bill, cask, finish, batch or release designation. Variants appear on Untappd under a Drink’s /variants URL and can be either a Vintage Variant or a Non‑Vintage Variant.
Where to find them: Append /variants to a Drink URL to view all of its variants. Example: Variants view
Variant types
Vintage Variant
Defined by a year printed on the official packaging (label artwork or printed cap) or an official vintage declaration by the Brand.
- Title format: Place the vintage at the end of the name in parentheses: (YYYY). For officially declared multi‑year vintage spans, place a range at the end: (YYYY–YYYY). Do not add NV.
- Multi‑year spans are only allowed when the producer markets the same recipe across consecutive years as a single release, and later changes the recipe or ends the span (see example[1]).
Non‑Vintage Variant
Defined by a producer-branded variant designation printed on the official packaging (label artwork or cap) that is not a vintage year. This typically happens when a main brand is produced previous to variants of that same brand being produced.
Examples of Non-Vintage Variant types include:
- Hop variants printed on label and sold as distinct SKUs
- Fruited or adjunct variants printed on label
- Barrel or wood treatment printed on label
- Finish or cask style printed on label
- Producer‑branded batch or release number printed on label
- Single barrel or barrel ID printed on label as part of the public name
- Proof‑named products where proof is the printed public name
- Flavor line extensions printed on label for RTD or NA lines
- Single vineyard or cuvée name printed on wine label
- Method or process printed on label (for example, Barrel Fermented, Amphora, Maceration)
- Sake style or process printed as the product name (for example, Nigori, Nama, Yamahai)
- Apple cultivar or co‑ferment fruit printed on cider/perry label
- Honey source, fruit, or spice printed on mead label
What qualifies vs. does not
Qualifies (create a Variant)
- Vintage printed on label/cap → Vintage Variant (YYYY)
- Producer materials call the SKU “Vintage YYYY” → Vintage Variant (YYYY)
- Variant text is part of the printed product name (for example, hop/cask/batch/release/finish, fruiting, adjuncts, barrel treatment) → Non‑Vintage Variant
Does not qualify (use parent Drink, do not create Variant)
- “Bottled on,” “Best before,” stamped dates
- Handwritten dates, retailer stickers, personal cellar dates
- Seasonal packaging without printed year or printed variant name
- Seasonal styles or annual releases of the same drink brewed with the same recipe each year or season
Note: These rules apply to all Drink types (wine, cider, perry, mead, sake, spirits, RTDs, beer, NA, etc.). Spirits age statements (for example, 12 Year) are not vintages; only use (YYYY) when a producer markets a true vintage release.
Common variant patterns by category
Beer
- Hop variety variants that keep the parent Brand name but print the hop on the label (for example, “Citra,” “Mosaic,” “Nelson Sauvin”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using the printed hop name
- Fruitings or adjunct additions printed on label (for example, “Raspberry,” “Vanilla,” “Coffee”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using the printed addition
- Barrel or wood variants printed on label (for example, “Bourbon Barrel‑Aged,” “Port Barrel”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using the printed treatment
Cider and Perry
- Single‑varietal fruit printed on label (for example, “Gravenstein,” “Kingston Black”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using the cultivar name
- Co‑ferments with other fruit printed on label (for example, “Apple‑Blackberry”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed fruiting
- Vintage years printed on label/caps → Vintage Variant (YYYY)
Mead
- Fruit/spice/honey source variants printed on label (for example, “Blackberry,” “Clover Honey,” “Cinnamon”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed addition/source
- Barrel treatment printed on label → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed treatment
Wine
- True vintages printed on label → Vintage Variant (YYYY)
- Producer‑branded cuvées or special bottlings printed on label (for example, “Reserve,” “Single Vineyard [Name]”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed cuvée or vineyard name
- Method or finish variants explicitly printed on label (for example, “Barrel Fermented,” “Amphora”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed method
Sake
- Style/process variants printed on label (for example, “Nigori,” “Nama,” “Yamahai,” “Junmai Daiginjo”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed style when it is the product’s public name
- Vintage years printed on label (rare) → Vintage Variant (YYYY)
Spirits
- Cask/finish variants printed on label (for example, “Port Cask Finish,” “Sherry Cask”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed finish
- Single barrel/barrel number variants printed on label as the public name (for example, “Single Barrel #123”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed barrel identifier
- Proof‑named products where proof is the public name (for example, “114 Proof”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed proof name
RTDs and Non‑Alcoholic
- Flavor line extensions printed on label (for example, “Blood Orange,” “Ginger Lime”) → Non‑Vintage Variant using printed flavor name
Edge reminders
- If the producer does not print the variant as part of the public product name, do not create a Variant
- Always place a vintage (YYYY) at the end; do not add years to non‑vintage variants
Title formatting
- Vintage Variant: place the vintage at the end of the title in parentheses: (YYYY)
- Non‑Vintage Variant: use the producer‑printed variant text (for example, “Citra,” “Batch 5,” “Release No. 3,” “Port Cask Finish”) at the end of the title if that is the Brand’s naming pattern. Do not add a year unless printed as a vintage.
- Follow Naming Standards for other naming elements
Information for Brands
- You can allow Untappd Moderators to merge non‑qualifying variants into the parent Drink.
- Lock any specific Variant or Drink you do not want merged.
- Duplicates for the same (YYYY) or the same printed variant name may be consolidated into a single variant listing.
You can change settings at any time. Turning merging off will not undo past merges; contact Support to review reversals.