Is there such a thing as an electric corkscrew for whisky bottles?

Anyone who regularly opens a fine bottle of whisky for a nice dinner, a tasting, or simply to enjoy on a quiet evening knows that at some point the bottle has to be opened. Which made us wonder: does an electric corkscrew for whisky bottles even exist?

AI seems to be taking over everything, and before you know it we’ll be living in a robot society. Jokes aside: the pace of technological change is remarkable. The whisky world is still rooted in pure craftsmanship, though you do see more and more tech innovations creeping in. Think, for example, of the robot at Dewar’s.

But if we’re asking whether there’s an electric corkscrew, we should first ask whether whisky bottles even need one in the first place.

Usually not. Consider this: whisky bottles are often different from wine bottles. Most whisky comes with a natural or synthetic cork topped with a wooden or plastic cap. That means you simply twist and pull it out by hand.

There are exceptions, though. With very old bottlings or special releases, you might encounter a traditional cork inside a whisky bottle. And if there’s one thing you don’t want as a drinker, it’s for that cork to snap and ruin a precious whisky.

Is there a special electric device, something better than our own hands, that can prevent these issues? Not really. There isn’t an electric corkscrew specifically designed for whisky.

The electric corkscrews you’ve seen are made for wine bottles with long corks that sit fully recessed in the neck.

In theory, you could use an electric wine opener if a whisky bottle has a broken cork. The spiral mechanism screws into the cork and lifts it out in a controlled way. But in practice, that’s rarely necessary with modern whisky.

In short, most whisky bottles are designed to be opened without any tools.

And who says technology is always better? For enthusiasts and collectors who regularly open older bottles, a manual approach is often the smarter—and safer—option than an electric gadget.

Cork or no cork, opening a whisky bottle by hand brings a little bit of magic, doesn’t it?

Familiar with our How to whisky series? Take a quick look at our overview.