Liquor store with good selection of bourbons

[xiaoguniang]

Hi all - I'm looking to try some new bourbons and was wondering if there's a good liquor store to check out, preferably in Cambridge, with a knowledgeable staff and a wide selection of bourbons.

[enhF94]

I'll second Downtown in Davis.

And if you find A.H. Hirsch 20-year anywhere, let us know.

[Chrispy75]

Julio's in Westboro!!!! Believe me, I have not seen a better selection anywhere.

[itaunas]

Downtown probably has the best combination of selection and staff on the Cambridge side of the river. Atlas Liquors on Mystic Ave in Medford is pretty good and sometimes has things the others run out of (buffalo trace), but I often shoot over to Martignetti's for rye. Cambridge Wine and Spirits (what used to be Mall Discounts) is pretty bad. SavMor on McGrath, not 16, sometimes has decent things (more interesting mixers than Martignetti's). Also the larger liquor store in Central square where Purity Supreme once was I think is worth a peek as they do carry a few things, but haven't been recently. Liquor Land also is worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.

[jgg13]

I can't speak for the bourbon per se (they seem to have stuff that I don't normally see, but I'm not much of a bourbon afficianado) but the supreme liquors (in central square) constantly surprises me. They have a decent selection of stuff, doubly so considering how crappy it used to be.

[MB fka MB]

That Central Sq. store actually does carry a few interesting bourbons.
Also, University Wine shop doesn't have a big selection, but I recall a thoughtful collection.

[litchick]

Totally Downtown Wine & Spirits. Had a great conversation this weekend with the dude that buys the borbon. It's his favorite spirit and he takes a lot of pride in having a deep and wide-ranging selection of unusual stuff. I trek to KY every year to try new kinds, and I can find the great bourbons at Downtown I can't locate elsewhere in Boston (like Elmer T. Lee, for instance). The dude said: "if it's available from Massachusetts distributors, we have it."

You other option is to head to the NH state stores, whose prices are way better than anything in the Boston area. Check them out online, you can see which stores have stock of which bourbons (or, whatever else you're looking for).
http://www.nh.gov/liquor/products.shtml

[MC Slim JB]

Gordon's in Waltham (the Main Street location, not Moody) has a big selection of premium American whiskeys and a guy who seems (or at least pretends) to know a lot about them. My go-to places for big selections of liquor include Blanchard's in Allston and Martignetti's in Brighton. Marty's in Allston is pretty good, too.

[po_boy]

I second Blanchard's in Allston. It's one of the few places I've found Eagle Rare 17 year (a favorite), though it's not always there. Marty's in Allston also seems to have a decent selection but the few times I tried to browse their selection, I was annoyed by an over zealous employee (which never happens when I buy beers there, go figure).

[bear]

From my son the casual bourbon-lover:

Downtown Wine and Spirits in Davis Sq. Somerville for Bourbon. Also, Blanchard's in Allston can have interesting ($75+) bottles in their high-end case, but is hit or miss.

If you want to go the bar/food route, The Independent in Union Sq. Somerville has a recently expanded selection of bourbons and ryes.

[Bob Dobalina]

Interesting - I was at the Independent the other day, and they did not have Booker's, which one would think would be in an expanded selection. I did get a decent pour of Johnnie Walker Black, however. Smooth and sweet.

[lennyb]

Bod Dobalina, I know you know that Johnnie Walker is not a bourbon.

[Bob Dobalina]

Right o! I went with the Johnnie Walker because in the dim light, I had trouble making out the other available selections.

[lennyb]

Booker's = 121-127 proof!! Maybe that was why it was hard to see.