Buying spirits online

[Kent Wang]

Do you purchase spirits online? Do you find their prices to be competitive? I've checked Binny's and Internet Wines and Spirits and found their prices to be inferior to my local Costco, especially on items that Costco carries in 1.75L.

[jsmeeker]

Do you purchase spirits online? Do you find their prices to be competitive? I've checked Binny's and Internet Wines and Spirits and found their prices to be inferior to my local Costco, especially on items that Costco carries in 1.75L.

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Didn't think you could buy liquor at a Costco/Sam's type place in Texas. Only beer and wine...

[Bricktop]

I am giving a lot of thought to doing this. My local stores are good-not-great, especially with regard to liqueurs needed for some cocktails I'd like to make.

[eje]

I usually only buy things from online vendors if they represent some significant savings over local stores or if it is something they don't carry and won't/can't special order.

I have found some pretty significant savings on items from Hi-Time Wine Cellars. For example, they currently list Ron Zacapa 23 year for $30. I am hard pressed to find it locally for less than $50. That's the shipping right there in the savings on a single bottle. Plus, they carry some difficult to find stuff (Anis del mono! Byrrh wine! Clement Creole Shrubb!).

I've bought Ryes not usually shipped to the West Coast from Binny's before, and had excellent service.

Oh, and if you're looking to purchase Absinthe, I can highly recommend Liqueurs de France.

[Kent Wang]

Didn't think you could buy liquor at a Costco/Sam's type place in Texas. Only beer and wine...

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In Texas, Costco leases out space to Western Beverages, which functions as a seperate store and handles all the licensing. Prices are still "Costco-sized", though.

[Snowy is dead]

probably would if I could, but, sadly, that seems to be illegal in good 'ol Massachusetts. I guess people do it, but with all the security scanning going on less gets through than it used to.

I wonder if X-rays are bad for wine and booze?

Sean

[jlo mein]

I just ordered spirits online in order to make it convenient for a friend of mine headed to the US. I went online and ordered stuff from Witty's Wine Store in New Jersey, and I'm having it shipped to his family's house in Illinois. It makes it super easy, since I don't have to ask him to go out and buy anything for me, it will just arrive on his doorstep.

Once his vacation is over he's going to bring the spirits back to me in Vancouver.

[Kent Wang]

I created a spreadsheet of prices in Google Spreadsheets.

Maybe we can turn this into a collaborative project? Send me a PM with your Gmail username and I will add you to the collaborators list which allow you to edit the spreadsheet.

At the very least, you can use the spreadsheet as a template to making your own pricing spreadsheet.

[jlo mein]

A very good idea in concept, however price updating would have to happen quite regularly for the spreadsheet to be up to date.

If you are specifically looking for prices on certain spirits, I like to use froogle.google.com , as it helped me find the best deals on the rum I bought online.

[LycheeLover]

Bevmax.com has some very reasonable prices...I use them all the time..

[thirtyoneknots]

Spec's is a mondo liquor store chain in the Houston area, their downtown store in particular is fantastic. They do ship, but only in Texas.

www.specsonline.com

-Andy

[Kent Wang]

Having to pay sales tax on top of shipping makes the out-of-state vendors more attractive.

[Ed Hamilton]

In my experience buying liquor online is best for hard to find items, not things which are sold in 1.75s, which are generally available in every market and regularly go on sale. It is also worthwhile to get on the mailing lists as more than a few internet stores have specials which they don't advertise on their websites. For some reason only a few online stores are able to keep everything updated so sale prices are sometimes much less than the prices you see on the internet page.