Went to Cask to pick up an (obscure) Corsican aperitif. As always the staff was friendly and helpful, AND they had exactly what I was looking for. With Ledger's closing :( recently, I will be making the trip across town more often. Cask has a wonderfully curated selection of both spirits and hard-to-find specialty items (e.g. Amaros). Their wine selection is small, but lots of reasonably priced wines and some real gems. All in all, a great place to just go and browse (though you'll be hard-pressed now to buy SOMETHING while you're there)! read more

Definitely my new fav spot for getting my Bottle and mixer needs. I had been on the search for getting some Gin for my liquor shelf. It was basically located in Burlingame but it's a product from Scotland and hard to get. I was told by a friend of mine that they had a bottle store in Berkeley. I went and I instantly found gratification since it was on the self. I also bought a Passionfruit syrup I had been wanting to get for my Hurricanes. I did love their variety and selection of Bottles and mixers. My new stop and I don't have to cross the Bridge to find my Bar essentials. Guy at the front was also Super Friendly which made it an easier experience. read more

Great liquor store Everything I would ever want in terms of spirits. Especially because they are knowledgeable and can help you pick out just the right whisky or whiskey. I love that they've got a nice range of gins and vodkas. It's particularly sweet that they've been upping their tequila and mescal game. Plus they have a really strong beer selection. All kinds of crazy options. Even some nice zero alcohol beers. I like it when the tasting room is open. Last time I was there on Thursday and they were quite a few tables tasting and enjoying! read more

A drinker's depot. A mixologist's mine. A cocktailer's cache. Cask is a really great liquor store. They'll have 20+ brands of any liquor you're looking for ranging from $20 to $90+ for a fifth. Mixers and shrubs and aperitifs and digestifs and bar ware hardware. Lemons. Limes. They often set out recipes that are super fun to make and tasty to serve. read more

Happy to see that the tastings have returned after a long stall since the pandemic. Went today for a tasting of gin and bourbon that was set up in the back area of the liquor store. Cask is a boutique liquor store with all kinds of specialty bottles for you to buy, including all of the usual alcoholic suspects, bitters, nips, refrigerated, cans, wines, nonalcoholic drinks, and some bar items. Wooden floors and tasteful shelves, you may feel like you are in a barrel. Dog friendly in the liquor store and the taproom bar, which have separate hours and Yelp listings. There is a unisex restroom by the bar. They have a gift wrapping station behind the checkout. read more

See all

Great selection of hard to find deliciousness Something for everyone that enjoys a nice drink read more

What a great place!! Everyone who works here is super nice and knowledgeable, the shop itself is low key in the best way, and the inventory is both broad and smartly curated. And everything has a price! I think it's very respectful for shops to post item prices rather than making customers ask (or assuming they won't, then surprising them at the register). Just shopped here for the first time and will absolutely be back! read more

The tap room wasn't open, so we bought a couple of bottled drinks to have at home. Scotch lovers--they have over 100 different scotches in store. They also have craft beers. I liked how they used alcohol bottles to make ceiling light fixtures, and they were backed by barrels staves woven together. I also liked how they made recipe displays showing ingredients for specific cocktails. read more

See all

I'm slowly exploring every store I can on College Ave. Cask is 3 doors down from my favorite pilates studio (hi Bold!) and I only today stepped in. The friendly staff gave me space to browse and then helped me pick a bottle of mezcal. They had several mezcal options for less than $50. I never buy liquor because I'm too lazy to make cocktails, but I figure I'll be drinking cocktails at home for a while with the pandemic still going on. I started happy hour early today and made a drink I had at Pizzaiolo - mezcal + aperol + lime + honey syrup. Yum! They had so many other spirts, beers, and wines - I'll be back to check them out! read more

da Scene: Finally made it in here, been meaning to... saw an open spot in front and checked it out! da Imbibe: its deceiving. The space is not huge, but their selection feels somehow vast, if you are looking for something eclectic you'll enjoy this spot. I settled on a bottle of year designation Japanese cask strength whiskey. If you enjoy the brown stuff, you'll have fun browsing. da Service: Friendly folks, happy to help. I spied a rare bottle of 18 Yamazaki ($900)... I remember a good 20 years ago when I bought bottles for $80 after tasting it at the WOW expo. Damn I'm old... read more

Cask on College - Drooled longingly at the 18 Yamazaki... - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Just Rude for no reason. I came in with tea and set it on the counter to ask about a wine; and the guy just kept looking at me funny. So I asked if it was ok to set my drink down he ignored me and looked away. Completely ignoring my question. Next the lady, who also ignored my question... proceeded to tell me I needed a cloth mask when my face was completely covered including chin with a face shield... and not one of the cheap clear ones. But, at least she was nice and made eye contact. Nonetheless. I had come from Pete's and Boichik, everyone was actually pleased with my mask... so, it Looks like they were looking a reason... I won't say racist, just odd. Either way, I never got my question answered Nor, did I desire to shop with them. Sad, cause some of their exclusive whiskey were reasonably priced. They really should have better staff. read more

Cask on College - Building - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good selection of spirits and has tastings! I've purchased several bottles from them.

Terrific selection of Single Malt Whisky including both distillery and some proprietary bottlings. They have most of the mainstay Scottish distilleries represented as well as some nice Japanese selections. Their Bourbon collection is also very good. Staff are quite knowledgeable and friendly and eager to help. Prices are standard. read more

See all

I love the taproom. Nicole is a wonderful beer and wine server. Excellent knowledge and so fun to hang with the folks that frequent the establishment! read more

Fantastic selection of wines, beer and spirits with lots of non-domestic and hard-to-find items. On top of its great inventory, Cask has outstanding service - Heather offered me several knowledgeable recommendations for Aperol substitutes and was very warm and welcoming. A true gem of a store! read more

I would give this place a five star review if it weren't for the manager Sherry. As an uneducated person in the beer industry I had a few simple questions that seem to really annoy Sherry. I simply asked for her recommendation on a beer that was similar to the one that I brought in. She got extremely frustrated that I wasn't as knowledgeable as her and walked away from me leaving me feeling helpless as a customer. Luckily for me the employee was much nicer and seemed well more educated than Sherry. I will continue to shop here but I wanted to let the owners know that Sherry is the wrong person to be managing such a beautiful store. read more

Cask has a small bar to the right side as u enter. sign posted to the left of same are the beer availability and pricing. stool sitting only. lots of wines, hard liquor, and microbrews offered. most microbrews i've never seen before. shelfing is warehouse style. nothing fancy. some items not priced (elixirs, juices) buys: drake's drakonic ( 6.99) -pricing seems reasonable on draught: -microbrews mostly high not sure what price reasonable. -friendly checkout, good service -lots of spirits to choose from. read more

I'm not surprised to find such a high quality wine and spirits shop in this part of Berkeley. I am pleasantly surprised to find my all-time favorite craft gin (Barr Hill from Vermont) here. This shop is not only in a great location but it is well designed and carries all the things we need - as well as the things we like. I've already told you about the gin and as any numbskull can guess, Cask on College has an excellent supply of wines. As I wandered through the spacious rustic wood floored shop, I also found shakers, stirrers, strainers, muddling sticks and bitters. Looking at the business card, the branding "Artisanal Beverage Purveyors" is at the center. An easy business to recommend for wine enthusiasts and mixologists. read more

Cask on College - Wood grain patterned business card - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cask has an excellent selection of everything I want in gin and whiskey. Prices are fair. The pandemic has us all needing a drink, and their protocols definitely make me feel safe buying from them. Easy ordering through their website, and then you can pick up from their (literal) pick up window on College. Well done Cask! read more

Good selection. Helpful folks.

This is my favorite spirits store in the Bay Area. Fantastic selection, well organized and staffed, fun tasting events, and reasonable prices. And a little bar attached for good measure. They also carry all the locally made craft beers, which continue to grow in number and quality. read more

Cask on College - The bourbon selection - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

Compared to partner store in San Francisco, this store has a lot more space and a good variety to choose from. They do however become very selective of how many bottles they want to sell you even if you only want to buy 2. Never had this issue in San Francisco Cask. It sucks for those who drive far to pick up their favorite bottles of whiskey to find out that they can only sell you one even tho they have inventory. read more

Good selection of craft liquors and beers- on the pricey side but hey it's Rockridge. Mostly it's the blasé attitude of the staff that's the least interesting feature of this establishment. Call me old fashioned but when I enter a business and say 'Hi- how you doing?' I guess I expect more than an apathetic shrug- and then when I spend close to a $100 dollars on a couple of bottles - a simple 'Thanks for coming in!' or 'Enjoy your bottles!' would be appreciated. Not much to ask, really-- is it? Instead, when we arrived at the end of the transaction, an odd stare and another wordless shrug from the very uninterested cashier was all that I received. Unfortunately not really eager to return... read more

Amazing selection, good prices, my Gin was cheaper than BevMo. The thing that let Cask down was the guy that served me: no greeting, no smile, no thank you. I felt like I was intruding, and I suspect he was the manager. Come on Cask, customer service is still key in this tricky world. read more

Totally dig this establishment. For months on end I have been searching for better pricing on Sonoma County Distilling Rye and I found it here! $44 out the door + tax and $49 for their Cherrywood Rye. In addition the store carries a few well-known labels as well as small batch varieties too. I'll definitely return for more Sonoma County Rye but I also have to check out the tap room when it's open (not Mondays, fyi). So happy to have found this place. Check it out. A candy store for adults. read more

Was in Berkeley to visit a friend for the day, and she alerted my husband and I just as we drove in that it was her boyfriend's birthday that day. We drove by Cask at the same time and decided to stop in and grab some beers for an impromptu celebration. The had an excellent selection of both beer and liquor, and a beautiful layout. There was a great variety of local brews, we had no problem picking out several! They were enjoyed by everyone and we gained some new favorites. The man at the register asked if we needed any help, he was very friendly and knowledgeable. Would stop by again if in Berkeley! read more

Impressive depth of inventory, especially given the small size and uncluttered look of the store. I had to choose between THREE nocinos! How amazing is that? Add to that the friendly staff and the fact that they stock every single favorite booze and mixer I like, and what could I complain about? Decent prices too! read more

Cask has a great selection of liquor, beer, wine, and some stuff that might not be readily available at your local grocer. It's a really cool place with a good, simple vibe. Most of the staff is really great. Even the employees that don't give a particularly warm vibe are still helpful. I've subtracted 1 star here because they close at 9pm on Fridays & Saturdays. Too early for many that work into the evening and want to have some people over. Not having this lovely place as an option when I get off at say, 10pm on a Friday and want to entertain, is a massive bummer. read more

Great selection--a wide variety of standards and rare finds. I've always found the staff to be friendly and helpful.

I stopped in here with my girlfriend to pick up some liquor to get us through COVID shelter in place. After standing in front of the assortment of rums struggling to decide which would be best in Mai Tais, a very friendly staff member stopped by and gave us a great recommendation. She pointed us to a relatively inexpensive rum that she said would work great for us. Well, we kept asking her for recommendations: whiskey, mescal, bitters. For each she asked us a few questions and selected a low to mid priced option. She read our needs well, we're not connoisseur's, we just wanted to mix some great cocktails at home. Everything she recommended tasted amazing and made us feel we had found something special. read more

I hadn't realized this place existed, right at the top end of the Oakland section of College, just over into the Berkeley border. It's a little bit hipster with the selection of single malts and selection of wines, but they have a pretty cool range of beers too. Probably if I was looking for an unusual beer, I'd be looking in the fridge across the road in Trappist Provisions, but Cask does have a nice range of above average "usual suspects" for beer, as well as some more unusual bottles. I'm sure I'll come back, just don't know when. read more

Dropped in for Christmas gifts. The woman helping me was able to give useful suggestions on several items so I could pull together a cohesive gift. She was conscientious about pricing vs value vs what's simply interesting and worth trying. She helped me through the onset of her migraine, which was more than she needed to do (I could have come back). Expensive selection, but most are small-batch. read more

Overall this place is great--it's a liquor store with a little more personality than most. Occasional tastings, friendly staff, good liquor and mixer selection make it stand out. My only gripe is the beer selection is a little thin and kinda all over the place. They've got a few of the standard microbrews like Deschutes, a couple randos, and not much else. I went in the other day hoping for a winter seasonal variety... but there aren't any. Same with the cider. There are some great dry ciders out now but they only have a small selection. Anyway, still pretty good. I'd recommend. read more

after getting a nice dinner I was in a mad craze for a cigar. yelp search came up with no decent cigar shops in the area. The waitress at wood tavern recommended we visit the Cask. The cask host many different types of liquor's but they ALSO HAVE A MEAN SMALL HUMIDOR. The humidor has several decent brand cigars at great prices. The humidor is well maintained, so the cigars are in excellent condition. Great customer service. Very nice store to visit and make sure you roam all the isles. read more

Love this bottle shop. Right down the street from Safeway, so easy to pop in and grab a few bottles. Selection is always great and the people are super friendly. read more

My wife and I had an unpleasant experience at this establishment. We were racially profiled. I am of a mixed decent and my wife is of African American descent. From the minute we entered we received a scowling look from the man behind the register. He asked can I help you in a very confused tone. Mind you this place was empty with all but 3 employees. The other employee stood right beside us as we looked through their beer selection, he was obviously pretending to also look at the selection curiously. Then the other employee hovered around us in the same area. Feeling the room, I asked what time they closed, she said 7( it was 640) and "we're good", but she "has to buy her stuff"...ok. The other employee who was "looking at beers next to us" walked away as my wife started to walk toward him. The employee who I asked what time they closed suddenly stopped shopping for her beers as we gazed toward the other parts of the store. Spend your money elsewhere. I recommend K&L or Ledgers. read more

These folks really used the old liquor store space well to house a tap room sample area and a great selection of spirits and liquor. Always stumble upon something new here and they have a lot of quality things many of which out of my price range but they always do have something I can afford. read more

LOVE this place. It's my go-to for gift shopping - they have every type of booze imaginable, plus great random gift ideas (including cocktail extras and affordable tasting kits for fancy liquors). Plus the folks who work here are very knowledgeable, so they can help you find just the right thing if you're not sure what you're looking for. read more

I LOVE Japanese whisky and Cask on College has some of the best selections that you won't find at Bev Mo. Great customer care from Heather who knows Japanese whisky. If you need to get a great gift, they also have a wonderful selection of spirits from ALL over the world! read more

At long, long last we have a Cask in the East Bay. Very knowledgeable staff and it is stocked with an extensive range of the more interesting premium spirits, beer and wine. Whiskey is king, of course. read more