Kamuela Liquor Store is one the of reasons I look forward to when visiting the Waimea Cherry Blossom Festival, not because I am an alcoholic but I just LOVE alcohol!! Kamuela Liquor Store has been in business for over 80 years, the signage on the glass window has 78 years but I confirmed with the kind lady staff that helped me twice this past Saturday, is family owned liquor store located in Kamuela on Hawaii Belt Road, parking is next to the store which is a great thing and offers an impressive selection of wines, spirts, sake, and craft beers, they have a unique offering of cheeses, meats, olives, snacks, some groceries and dips. Staff was very helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable with my questions on wines and recommendations. They also have weekly wine/sake tasting on weekends. I usually stop here to grab my alcohol for the hotel stay and I saw some great deals, close out deals. I purchased 4 bottles and went back to grab a few more bottles, before we drove back to Hilo, during my most recent visit. Luckily the 6 bottles made it back to Oahu safely. It was such a great deal, a close out deal at $6.99, the only regret is not purchasing the last 6 bottles that were left. It was an Oregon wine which I always wanted to try when I was @ Portland but didn't have the chance to. ( Happy Dance) Check out Kamuela Liquor Store, such a GEM, hole in the wall, at Kamuela and worth the one hour drive too! read more

Amazing selection for such a little store. I love that this place exists and it's always fun to browse what they have on their shelves. The wine tasting events are tons of fun and quite educational. read more

See all

Spent $250 here today and Al, the owner was so rude. I was really surprised!! Not coming back ever.

Robin S, alias Richard Cranium. This store is phenomenal. The products offered cannot be found, and yet Al seems to get it done. I was in recently and offered my take on a Spanish wine. Al immediately wrote it down and wanted to source it for the store. Sorry you had a bad encounter. read more

Good Wine selection and they run special sales from time to time with excellent buys on premium wines

For a smallish store in a smallish town, this is a super place. Alvin, the owner, stocks almost anything you want or need...but the great finds are the discounted wines and champagnes from all over the world stocked as you enter the store. And do not miss his cheese selections. read more

What a selection! Kamuela is a liquor store but is heavy on the wine inventory. It's more of a wine store with a liquor section. Mostly imported wines are featured here with some great champagnes and moscatos from France and Italy as well as many Napa vintages. The have a chilled wine cellar in the back of the shop that has the creme da la creme. I found a $600 bottle but most bottles ranged between $100-300. Lot of great old treasures in the cellar. Great place to grab a few bottles, regardless of you price range. Be sure to pet the adorable shop dog while you peruse. read more

Kamuela Liquor Store - a row of wine bottles - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

I love this liquor store.....I stop here every time I am on island. It is not the largest liquor store or the fanciest...but they have what I need (and crave)! Now people, keep in mind....this is the Big Island. Yes, you can get pretty much anything you need on the island, but when it comes to specialty liquor...that's even hard to get on Oahu, much less the Big Island. But at Kamuela Liquor Store hard to find liquor happens to be on the shelf...and I know a lot of people order high end wine from here too. One time I found Cat Daddy moonshine (yes!) and another time I found a limited edition bottle of Four Roses single barrel! That's even hard to find on the mainland! This last time, I purchased a bottle of EH Taylor small batch.....yum. They even had Mimolette cheese, which I haven't had for a long time...due to the ban.....so amazing! I will no doubt visit this store again! read more

Kamuela Liquor Store - Yes baby! - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

See all

Highly recommended buy wine here find great deal from all over world wine for very nice price ! Parking is easy must stop by ! Who stay in waikaloa area check out selection here would save lots bucks ! read more

See all

A bit out of tge way and definitely unprepossessing from the outside but an Alibaba cave of wine treasures inside, with selections from all over the world. Found a spectacular Moselle Spaetlese, some great southern French and Italian varietals, a wide choice of West Coast Pinot Noir, plus the best cornichons west of the Atlantic. Quality-to-price ratio beats any store I've been to in the US, quite a feat given the extra costs of shipping to Hawaii. Highly recommended. read more

By far the best wine store on the big island and maybe all of Hawaii for older treasures and new vintages also. Who would think you could find Kumeu River Chardonnay in a little town like Waimea. Alvin is the man for keeping prices fair on an island where everything is sky high priced. Keep it up! read more

Came here for a present and I have no clue about whiskey. The person who we are gifting LOVES whiskey. That's her speciality at this store!!! She was so extremely helpful and sadly I can't remember her name but she owns it. She picked out a great bottle and threw in some extras to make it a more personalized gift. The person who we gave it to was thrilled. She made our day, and we made our friend's. Thank you for great service. We will definitely be back and will try the wine tastings since she has a great collection of bottles that can be expensive to ship in. read more

Went there last year they had a real good selection of whiskey, bought a few bottles. This year was slim pickings,

This business has the finest selection of wine snd ales. Extremely excellent management with the owner and consultant.

Even though I've lived on the Mainland for a long time now, I've never stopped doing my Christmas shopping at Alvin's store for my family in Kamuela. Just wish I could be back home more often to join everyone for some Christmas Cheer! Aloha and Mahalo you buggahs! read more

Came in this morning (6/18/18) and the lady opening the store was rude and unfriendly. We asked if the store was open and she said, "I guess so!" She then went about reading the newspaper and when we went to buy the wine she just seemed bothered! This must not be the norm because of the reviews, but this lady was not a good ambassador! read more

The BEST! I love getting a fairly-priced bottle of Kermit Lynch wine and Alvin always has a great selection. He's extremely knowledgeable and happy to offer suggestions and education. I can't pass the deli case without grabbing a unique cheese, or some gourmet ingredient I can't find anywhere else on-island. So lucky Kamuela Liquor is a hop skip and jump from my home!! read more

Kamuela Liquors reminds me of the Oakville Grocery Company. Both stores have that look that make you think there will be a hand scrawed "CASH ONLY" sign next to the manual cash register. Both have weathered vintage exteriors and, well, pretty weathered vintage interiors as well. Ah, but you will be glad you stepped inside either store! Both stores have cult followings due in part to their bucolic settings. Oakville Grocery is the place to go if you need flawless peaches for a tart or top shelf olive oil and vinegars. They also have porcelain white reefer doors with those big heavy chrome pull handles that date back to circa 1940 that I found compelled to pull on for a nostalgic rush. If you hang out long enough in Kamuela Liquor's gravel and dirt parking lot you'll probably see wild turkeys roaming around. And to enter Kamuela's temperature controlled wine cellar you will need to wrestle with a clunky old sliding patio door. It will not give you a nostalgic feeling...however, once inside you get a snoot full of that musty cellar smell that make wine lovers salivate. The store is smallish, but the owner knows what he is doing and it is filled with a thoughtful wine selection and a very good beer selection as well. Just like my favorite sushi chef I tell Alvin how much I want to spend and I hand him my credit card. This is also a good place to get recommendations for good eats. I don't buy wine here often, but when I do I buy from Alvin. Stay well my friends. read more

Best liquor store on the Big Island for current hard to find wine, beer and most importantly to me, whisky. Alicia is very helpful and knowledgeable in all things booze. They are also one of the few Hawaii stores that brings in excellent store pick barrel selections for four roses, buffalo trace and others. Weekly wine and spirits tastings make it hard not to find something you will enjoy and share. Cheers! read more

The selection here really IS amazing and some of my favorite wines and treats come from here, but yeah, I agree, the lady that works there has no fucks to give. People that know and love wine and fine liquor are usually open to suggestions to try new or different things, but most of the time you get the feeling that shes doing you a huge favor by ringing you up at all, much less suggesting anything new. I assume shes an owner b/c no one would keep a consistently "no shits to give" employee like that, they cost money, they LOSE the shop money. Someone has put a lot of work into making that place what it is. Too bad she doesnt care. I always pet the dog, just in case she treats it the same way. read more

On Friday's they do a wine tasting from 3P - 6P, offering great selections of wine to try out. Prices are reasonable and there is a nice selection of beer and wine to choose from. It is a good spot to find different brands you may not have otherwise thought to try. The owner always has picked a great selection of wine to carry... and from time to time you will find the store does a "close out" special on certain bottles, which can be a great time to stock up! :-) Friendly staff and great overall experience. read more

See all

This is the second time we've stopped by to enjoy wine tasting on a Saturday afternoon. Alvin is very knowledgable and offered good suggestions. Great place to get a bottle or two or even buy by the case. read more

I could tell this place was going to be good, and it exceeded my expectations. They carry some of my favorite but hard to find libations such as Flor de Caña rum and Basil Hayden's bourbon. The wine selection is equally impressive, with a great selection of boutique wines from the Santa Barbara region. Last but not least I was able to pick up a bottle of orgeat, which I was afraid I would need to order online. The staff are helpful and informative, and the shop is a cozy refuge on a cool Waimea day. read more

One of the best places to shop for wine on the Big Island. I am a huge wine collector and I always stop by here to check out their cellar in the back. Not always the best prices compared to the mainland, but lots of hard-to-find gems! I pack less wine when I travel to the Big Island because of these guys! read more

My friend from college's family owns this liquor store, so I made it a point to visit when I was on the island. It has an amazingly large selection of alcohol for such a small store - their wine selection is great! I wish we'd known about their tasting events, but we missed them when we were on the island. I told the woman working that I knew a member of the family, and she was more than happy to show me around. They have a really cool back room with tons of history - the liquor store's been around for ages! Plus, you can only get Hawaiian moonshine here, I'm told, and that stuff is crazy! read more

Kamuela Liquor Store was recommended to by the former director of the Keck Observatory as having the best wine selection on the island. We had driven by it several times having never noticed it since it is in a run down industrial building but it certainly did live up to its recommendation. Great selection of both mainstream and eclectic wines, beers, cheeses, etc. We especially liked the large wine cooler and also good selection of beers. Staff is always great and of course Daisy the dog is great (although a bit odd). One of the place we know always stop to see what they have new (BTW, they have fairly frequent wine and beer tastings which is a nice touch). read more

Called today about a keg to see if I could order it for a party in 2 weeks, the girl on the phone told me she doesn't know and and won't promise anything, she was rude and had bad phone manners. I found what I was looking for at KTA. read more

This is easily the best liquor store on the island! They have a wide variety of wine, liquor, beer, cheeses and other goodies. They do regular wine tastings on the weekends and the last time I went there was amazing homemade sausage and aged bleu cheese for sale. Mmmm mmm mmm..! read more

This is no average liquor store, great well thought out selection. Friendly staff, decent prices and it is nice to see such a wide variety in a relatively small store. I was getting tired fast of the beer and wine selection at the local grocery stores so I was pretty happy when I decided to stop by and take a look. read more

Ok, the reviews are 100% accurate. This place is a true gem, as is the adorable Mrs. Kamuela manning the register. Great wine selection; only drawback is we were enticed to spend much more than we intended for out little beverage run. Well worth the extra drive. read more

I am coming over from CA to HI for a family vacation and wanted to have a case of wine ready for my family upon arrival as a surprise. Low and behold Kamuela is handling everything with ease. From holding the case of wine for several weeks to ensuring all our needs were exceeded. Thank you Alicia, Joe and Tom for the most wonderful service! I am singing your praises from the mainland! read more

I picked up a nice cache of great Four Roses bourbon and a fine bottle of Palmaz Cabernet 2007. The store manager Alicia couldn't have been any cooler. Keep an eye out for the private barrel selections of bourbon she has in the works. There are very solid wine and Scotch selections to be found here. read more

What a find! And hard to find but worth it - right across from the Napa Auto Parts store. This store has a good selection of wine, beer, spirits and good prices. Such a refreshing change from the ubiquitous ABC Stores and Supermarket wine sections which were all we had found up until now! Worth the drive from wherever you are on the big island. read more

Great selection of wines and liquors and good prices for the Big Island. The shop has interesting little snacks, good cheeses, and unusual mixers/bitters, to round out your party. Alvin is awesome. He knows a lot, is a good teacher, and he's willing to find what you need or a good substitute. Alicia, not so much--unfriendly, condescending...don't understand how she keeps her job, and the shop drops a star because of her attitude. read more

Love this place! So much Great hard to find Wines !! Very helpful staff a.. Always my go to store on The B.I

What's not to love! Zillions of kinds of alcohol and really knowledgeable staff who are also very nice. All kinds of other goodies too like fancy cheese and stuff in the reefer, if that floats your boat. Support local business! read more