birdie Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Will be in San Diego in a few weeks, not been to that part of CA in a while, any good liquor stores to check out, maybe one that has some good barrel picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 We have some SD members so hopefully they'll chime in with recommendations of stores with barrel picks. I worked down there for a while and went on many booze quests, but don't remember ever seeing a store with more than one barrel pick. As you're probably aware, San Diego is a very beer-centric town and as such, the typical liquor store there (even the nicer, larges ones) seem to have an incredible beer selection and just a small area for liquor. The one recommendation I'll make is that if you're staying in Gaslamp, take a walk over to Best Damn Beer Shop. While they don't have any barrel picks, they are very nice folks, and may even be able to point you in the direction of some. They also always seem to have some interesting whiskeys on the shelf, so it's worth browsing there. There are a couple small aisles of whiskey as well as some shelves (above the refrigerated beer). San Diego is quite sprawling, however, so if you're across town, it may not be worth driving into downtown just for this shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardian Enzo Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Apart from the occasional BevMo pick (like a Four Roses) SD seems pretty barren for good whiskey dealers and store selections. Vista Wine &Spiirits about 30 miles north usually has several store picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoboda Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Old Town Liquor and Deli is worth a stop. We go to SD every year for Christmas and like to check their selection for things we cannot get in MO/KS. The last time in there, they had two separate areas of Bourbon on the shelf, so ask or really take a good look around. They also had ECBP behind the counter. Not sure about barrel picks though. And while you're there, upstairs is the El Agave Restaurant . . . the food is decent and they have an unbelievable Tequila list and Tequila Museum / collection. Bueno! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdie Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Thanks all, always feel like its worth checking others stores out, as sometimes I have found bourbon on the shelf that in CO is locked up out back with an armed guard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverc Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 9 hours ago, Kpiz said: The one recommendation I'll make is that if you're staying in Gaslamp, take a walk over to Best Damn Beer Shop. I was just in San Diego 2 weeks ago and stayed downtown near the Gaslamp area. I went to the Best Damn Beer shop on 7th and found a lot of good stuff. They had some things that were laughably overpriced (Stagg Jr for $129 and Elliott's Select for $269), but plenty of other non-LE items for retail, or even cheaper than I could get back home. They did not have any barrel picks, and the guy I asked about barrel picks didn't have any idea what I was talking about. I was able to get some stuff I couldn't get at home, but I only made really one liquor store stop since I didn't have a car. If you are able to drive around some, you will likely find some good stuff. And if you haven't been to the USS Midway, you should really check it out. It's awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kpiz Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 On October 28, 2016 at 9:56 PM, silverc said: They did not have any barrel picks, and the guy I asked about barrel picks didn't have any idea what I was talking about. Best Damn Beer Shop is a beer shop/whiskey shop/grocery, and some of the folks working there will probably know much more about the first two of those things than the third. If you happen go in when there's a big bearded guy named Eric working, he'll know what you're talking about. Otherwise, it sounds like they may not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conquistador Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 Depending on where you are staying/going in the greater San Diego area, another independent liquor store you might want to try is the Holiday Wine Cellar. They are within San Diego County, but located within the City of Escondido. Decent selection of liquor, beer, and wine. Last time I was in there, they had a store picked Willett 11 year old bourbon; but it was too rich for my blood...$550. I've seen other store picks on my other visits, so maybe they will have something more reasonable now. There are also several Keg n Bottle locations throughout the region. Many of the KnB locations have pretty anemic stocks of bourbon and other whiskies, but the College location has a wide selection, although the prices are sky high on the limited editions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTNBourbon Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 If you are into beer as well, there are some awesome breweries in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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