If you’re shopping for a liquor control system, you’ll quickly land on two proven options: the liquor gun and the Ring-Donut liquor system. Both provide a consistent pouring experience for the bartender and the customer . Both record every ounce. But they work very differently behind the bar, and the right choice depends on your drink mix, your back-bar layout and how your team works on a busy night.
Pour Controls has been building and supporting both for years. In 2020 we acquired Sprint Bar Controls, a Langley, B.C. manufacturer with more than 30 years of liquor monitoring & dispensing experience (read the announcement). Here’s how the two systems compare.
How a liquor gun system works
A liquor gun system moves your high volume bottles off the back bar and into a secure rack, usually under the bar or in a back room. Hoses & pumps carry each spirit to a handheld gun with a keypad. The bartender presses a button and the gun dispenses an exact, pre-set portion.
Our Sprint Brand Liquor Gun comes in 6, 9 or 12-brand configurations, with a stainless-steel control housing, a heavy-duty hose and an Epson audit printer. The complete Smart Liquor Gun Package adds the Sprint Server, cabling, eight hours of training and database setup, and a year of cloud reporting.
“A liquor gun is the closest thing to a sealed system you can have behind a bar. The bottles are locked away, every button press is logged, and the pour is the same at 5 p.m. and at last call.” — Peter Hornstein, Owner & President, Pour Controls
How a Ring liquor dispensing system works
A Ring-Donut liquor system keeps your bottles on display. Each bottle gets a control spout, sealed in place with a shrink seal. To pour, the bartender inverts the bottle into the activator ring on the liquor console, and the system releases a measured portion and records it. 4 portion sizes are available.
The Ring-Donut Liquor System Package includes the liquor console with activator ring holder, the Sprint Server, 50 spouts, shrink seals, a heat gun, cabling and two hours of training and database build per console. You can choose standard 7G spouts or Brand ID spouts, which tell the system exactly which product was poured.
“Owners love the Ring-Donut because the back bar still looks like a bar. Your premium bottles stay on the shelf where guests can see them, and you still get the control and reporting of a gun.” — Peter Hornstein
Liquor gun vs. Ring dispensing liquor system at a glance
| Liquor gun system | Ring-Donut liquor system | |
|---|---|---|
| Where bottles live | Locked rack, out of sight | On the back bar, on display |
| How the bartender pours | Press a button on a handheld gun | Invert the bottle into the activator ring and pour |
| Brands per station | 6, 9 or 12 | Any spouted bottle; |
| Best for | High-volume rail and well spirits | Premium and call brands, visible shelves |
| Theft and tampering protection | Highest: bottles are not accessible | High: sealed spouts, every pour logged |
| Complete Cloud based reporting package price (US$) | $4,490 to $20,055 | $4,675 to $12,345 |
| Training included | 8 hours plus database setup | 2 hours per console |
| Cloud reporting | First year included, then $75/month | First year included, then $75/month |
| POS interlock | Available, depending on POS | Available, depending on POS |
Prices are from the Pour Controls store as of October 2026.
Which one should you choose?
Choose a liquor gun if most of your volume is mixed drinks from rail spirits, you run a nightclub, stadium, banquet or hotel bar, or you’ve had trouble with bottles walking out the door.
Choose a Ring-Donut liquor system if your back bar is part of your brand, you sell a lot of premium and call pours, or you want to add control without re-plumbing your bar.
Use both if you’re a larger venue. Many Pour Controls clients put the well spirits on a gun and the premium shelf on a Ring-Donut. Both connect to the same Sprint Server and the same cloud reports, so you see every pour in one place.
“It’s rarely either-or. We look at what you pour most, where you lose the most, and build the system around how your bar already runs.” — Peter Hornstein
What both systems give you
Whichever you pick, the hardware is only half the value. Every pour is recorded and date-stamped to the second, compared against your POS sales in near real time, and summarized in a daily email report (see how it works). Pour Controls integrates with 90+ POS systems, and clients see inventory shrinkage drop by up to 23% on average.
Want to see the payback math? Read Why Liquor Control Systems Make Sense and Are You Losing Speed With a Liquor Gun or Ring-Donut System?
FAQ
Is a liquor gun the same as a bar gun? A soda bar gun dispenses mixers. A liquor gun dispenses measured spirit portions and logs each one.
Can I start small? Yes. The Smart Liquor Gun Package starts at one station and six brands, and the Ring-Donut system starts at one console. You can add stations or a draught beer flow meter later.
Do I own the equipment? Yes. Unlike rental programs, you own your Pour Controls hardware. See how ownership saves thousands over five years.
Not sure which fits? Contact Peter and the Pour Controls team for a free walkthrough of your bar.