shipping alcohol

[mbvmgb]

I need a bit of help. I have a friend in Canada (Montreal, to be precise) that I wanted to ship a bottle of whiskey to. I want to do this legally and without any real hassle. Is this possible? Is there a best way to do this without too much trouble?

[mrgrotto]

I'm in MA where it's not legal to ship alcohol to or from for commercial purposes, but I've never had a problem. I've never done it across the country's border, though. That being said, I know of one person who had some Peychaud's bitters shipped here (which is actually legal since they're not potable) and it was confiscated. If you're comfortable with looking the post office employee in the eye and lying when they ask if there's anything "liquid, fragile, flamable, or perishable," then it's worth considering. Just make sure it's super well packed (I do a well padded box with the booze/beer/wine in it and then put that box in another well padded box). I'd maybe wait to see if anyone on here has had any cross-border issues.

[JMF]

Legally, unless you own a retail or wholesale liquor business, and are based in a state that allows it, it isn't legal to ship alcohol. Fed-Ex is about the only company that will ship for businesses. That said, I would never think of doing anything illegal, but I know of many people who have shipped well packed spirits by UPS, Fed-Ex, and the USPS. mrgrotto describes the way I have heard it done, with double boxing. And they don't put a return address on it.