Aspects of the present invention relate to an apparatus for converting a container into a smart bottle. A tapered plug comprising a channel portion, wherein a first sensor is located proximate to a first end of the channel portion and a second sensor is located proximate to a second end of the channel portion, and a non-channel portion, wherein the non-channel portion houses a processor, a memory, a battery, a power-management system, a clock and a communication interface, may replace a standard container cap, thereby providing monitoring, verification and communication capabilities.