Whenever I see the brand Curley's all I can ever think about is the episode of Father Ted where the…read moreauthor lady he takes a shine to signs his book as and continually refers to him as Father Ted Curley! In my book it is good that this sense of mirth goes on to an off licence, the cause of many laughs ( but also much hurt and pain.....Il try to avoid this reality!). This curley's is a pretty good off license, and it needs to be because the Asda is only about 2 minutes away and has the lure of sensational offers to bring customers in through the doors. The store has a good range of special offers and a wide range of spirit. Most goods in here are also chilled which is such a good thing as it means you can get stuff here and be ready to go rather than having to wait to booze or stain your drinks with ice! I hate ice, your beverage should already be cold, it doesn't need diluted!

Besides being in a loyaslist area I stop here for my UK beers. They carry Bucky and the shop owner…read morelooks at you odd when you add it to the pile of craft beers you have at the till. Some of us like to live dangerously...

Generally Off Licenses are Off licenses - nothing interesting or new to report, they sell alcohol,…read morecigarettes and the obligatory mixers and odd few nibbles - this one is slightly different. As mentioned by other people, this is more of a wine merchant. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and even stop for a chat with you if you know what you want and don't need any assistance, however if you are going to a party, special dinner, or want to gift a bottle of wine to someone who knows considerably more about fine wines than you do, this is the place to go. The wines are reasonably priced for the quality (quite frankly if you want a cheapo bottle of plonk, then there's always Tesco or Sainsburys!) but they do have a number of offers on any time I have been in, where you can get a few bottles for a reduced price!

This off licence is situated on Millisle High Street and I reckon it could be the busiest off…read morelicense in North Down. There is always someone inside whether it is 11 in the morning or 1 at night. Russell Cellars always runs promotions and there has been many times that I have gone to this off license not sure of my tipple and come out with something completely random. A surprise carryout equals a surprise hangover and I can blame plenty of awful hangovers on Millisle's Russell Cellars. The interesting thing about this off license is that it is all behind the counter, I do not know what this says about the citizens of Millisle? But sometimes this makes it difficult to chose what you want. I think this is because in part there is so much choice with a wall of spirits behind the counter. The staff are helpful and always chatty but the I think they would get annoyed if you kept asking to read bottles.

One of Bangor's many off licences and certainly one of the best known. This is probably due to its…read morereputation for having wee kids always hanging about the shops and causing trouble, which isn't really the staff at this excellent wee shops fault. The shop is always clean and tidy and the stock is always filled out and with plenty of fridges here you will never have a problem getting a cold beer or bottle of wine. There is a good selection of red wines and spirits and the staff are always helpful if you can't find what you need. There is good parking here and an ATM nearby, but they do cashback if you want to pay on your card.

good bevvies would recommend cedric farrell oisin andreasen does indeed love a good 2lt and we can…read moreall be honest buckfast is horrendous

Based right on the main Bryansburn Road and servicing most of West Bangor, this is a handy wee off…read morelicence with everything that you would expect from a local, neighbourhood booze shop. You can get beers, wines, spirits, cigarettes, ice and basically most things that you will need for a night in or a few drinks before you head out to the pub or to a club. The staff are really nice and helpful and will always try and order in something to the store from one of the bigger stores if they don't have it in stock. Its right across the road from a maxol garage that has an ATM but Winemark does cashback on card transactions which is really handy.

This shop has everything: hot food, all the brands I love AND they have an award-winning…read moreOff-licence.

We discovered the Wine Cellar website a few years ago while looking for a shop that would select…read moreand deliver a mixed case of wine to family to enjoy over the holidays. Their website featured mixed cases at various price points. Wine is the perfect gift, one size fits all and always appreciated. Anne Berry was very helpful with selecting the wines and processing the order. Since then we have continued to make the annual Christmas purchase, we also stop in to purchase wine, beer and spirits when we visit family in Douglas as the shop is walking distance from the house. Their primary focus is wine but they also offer a good selection of spirits, beers and specialty mixers. The shop is conveniently located in a residential area with plenty of parking. If you are a local check see the website for details on their wine club and events.

I can honestly say I didn't have any great expectations of this Ballyclare off license. It doesn't…read morelook like much from the outside, but as always, appearances can be deceiving. As you walk in, the shop looks so much bigger than what you would ever have imagined, its brilliantly laid out, all the drinks are set out in their different sections; red/white wine/beer/liqueur/spirits/Alcopops etc. The deals of the week on offer are clearly marked with a sample of each beside the label, the beer is stocked at the back and is all kept cool (Yay!) the prices weren't great I must say, for some reason I expected them to be cheaper, but as all we were looking was some chilled wine to enjoy when we got home it wasn't really a problem. We decided to take advantage of the special offer on white wine (£4 off a particularly nice looking wine, memory escapes me as to the name but it wasn't that great in the end ...boo!) but I was pleased with the experience of calling in here. They sold some very lovely looking wine (I nearly fainted when I saw the price, but that's vintage for you!) I wouldn't be calling in here every weekend for my wine but as is often the case the local Asda or Tesco probably do much better deals. The service was very pleasant though, the lady pointed us to our next stop which was down some strange side alley so brownie points for the helpfulness of staff and presentation of the shop. I also learnt that Grape Expectations stock over 760 wines, and they have one of the largest walk in coolers in Northern Ireland! There you go now, the things you learn ey!

A really small and cosy off licence that is right on the Donaghadee Road in Bangor which means it…read moreis easy to get to and serves a large residential area. The stock in this place isn't as wide ranging as some of the other off licences in Bangor but this is down to its size. But the staff more than make up for this with their friendly and polite manner which make going into this small store always a laid back and friendly experience. The deals you get in winemark are pretty competitive and you should be able to find something that is to your taste. If you can't find it, they are usually more than happy to order something in for you. There isn't an ATM near by, but that is ok because they offer cashback when you pay on your card.

Located opposite Bryce park this off licence used to be notorious for underage drinkers. They would…read moreput on their Dad's shirt buy 3 litres of cider then drift into the park and then wonder aimlessly around the local area looking for "hippies" to "start on". But all this has changed Winemark now operates a strict challenge 25 system where they seem to be asking for I.D from anyone without a thick beard. The staff are pretty stringent on this so make sure you bring your driving licence. The shop itself has a great selection of beers, wine and spirits. It always runs promotions and just last week was selling 2 bottles of Buckfast for £10, to the delight of my mates. This fine tonic wine is often sold at a high price in other off licences' around town. Its drinkers are distinguished wine connoisseurs of the highest degree that have a taste for the finer things in life. Finding two bottles for £10 is considered a real coup so Winemark has won a few more fans recently. As said Winemark is a good off licence in a good location handy for grabbing a few beers before heading into town.