Traveling to California: where to buy?

[rantonerik]

I'm going to be traveling to San Jose, CA in a few weeks. My impression is that CA is not a control state. Can anyone recommend the best stores from which to buy bourbon in the San Jose/San Francisco area?

Thanks,

Rob

[TNbourbon]

Doug's already pick 'em over pretty good!

[NorCalBoozer]

in my limited experience you probably would have a better shot at looking for primarily wine stores as opposed to just random liquor stores (unless they are big). In norcal it seems like wine is much bigger seller and so wine stores also tend to stock the higher end alcohols.

that being said, im sure there are small liquor stores with some good finds, but if your time is limited, you might want to try the stores that carry lots of wine.

best of luck!

[TMH]

Bourbon isn't really that popular in the Bay Area. It really is wine country. That being said, you might want to stop in to Beverages & More. They have several locations throughout the area. I've found the Gilroy and Redwood City locations to have a better selection than others. If you don't mind driving a little I highly recommend Beltramos. Here's a few links.

http://www.bevmo.com/homefind-Bevmo.asp?area=storeloc

http://www.beltramos.com/

[robbyvirus]

Beltramo's on the Penninsula has the best selection, but their prices are higher than most. Still, they have the largest selection I've found around here.

[monte]

Got that straight!

I was very pleased to read his notes on technique - it actually helped me today to see some older stuff that I might not have noticed before.

Still, the invenory laws in MA put a (tax) kibosh on really old stock, unless the owner is OK with fakeing inventory. Around here, that puts you into a never-never land where a tiny store would have never bought a cool bottle a long time ago, and a big store would have flipped it on special if it never sold retail (or never bought it in the first place).

The few "faults" I find around here are some WT12 year from the late 90s, occasionally some of the Bourbon Heritage Collection and little else worth drinking. Most of the time, there is little to find here in dusty stores...

All praise dougdog and his CA juggernaut!!

-monte-

[SFBourbonDrinker]

I agree about Bevmo.

I live in SF, and the Bevmo store near me continues to stock Stagg. I got the impression from the clerk that it does not sell well.

Other places to try include K&L wines, which has stores in SF and Redwood city, and D&M liquor, located in Pacific Heights. K&L's selection is not huge, but their prices are lower.

www.klwines.com

www.dandm.com

[rantonerik]

Thanks for the information! I'm looking forward to finding some stuff I can't get (easily) in WA. Hope I luck into some Stagg...

Anyone care to comment on flying with alcohol... I'm assuming I'll want to carry it on, and I don't plan on opening anything...

Rob

[TNbourbon]

...Anyone care to comment on flying with alcohol... I'm assuming I'll want to carry it on, and I don't plan on opening anything...

Domestically, you can carry up to 5 liters of unopened/sealed spirits in your carry-on, up to 140 proof. Above 140 proof, it's considered hazardous material (HAZMAT). If you manage to find the 2003 Stagg, ship it home -- it's 142.2 proof, and has been known to be confiscated.