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!

Hidden away in the sleepy seaside village of Groomsport is Neill Wines and perhaps Northern…read moreIrelands greatest selection of bottled craft beers. Neill wines is unassuming from the outside, located on Groomsport's Main Street it has limited branding and no flashy signs that give any indication of the delights that are inside. Much like a treasure chest it's only when you go inside that you are exposed to the vast bounty. The shelves are stacked high and deep with a huge array of craft beers. From local brews to exotic Caribbean beers this place has it all. Along side the traditional lagers they had a bargain bin with 3 beers for a fiver and being the adventurous type I choose 3 beers I had never seen or heard of before. I ended up with a coffee flavoured beer from Ireland (nice and local) and a pale ale from England that made my taste buds scream for more. That's the beauty of going to Neill Wines, it's a lottery and you might just hit the jackpot and come out clasping your new favourite beer. If you're more of a wine connoisseur then they have a huge selection for you too, not being a huge fan of wine I stuck to the craft beers but I noticed the wines were all shelved by region. Ask the staff for advice if you're not sure what to go for, they seem to know their stuff although I wish the attendant had of warned me that my coffee flavoured beer was more like beer flavoured coffee, anyway you live and learn. If you're a craft fan, as so many people are these days, I would suggest you take a wee jaunt down the coast to visit Neill Wines or look them up online and see what they have in stock you're bound to come across something new.

From the owner: Quality, authentic and great value for money wine. One of…read morethe largest ranges of craft beer in Northern Ireland

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.

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

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.

Sainsbury's Off Sales is the best in Belfast. It has a vast range of wines, beers, spirits and any…read moreother beverage you could possibly want. In my opinion it sells the best wine of all the supermarket chains. I rate it even more highly than some of the smaller independent off licences. The reason for this is that Sainsbury's wines are definitely, by far, the best quality, selection and price. It's also a lovely large, well designed off licence with a bright, clean feel and exceptionally helpful staff. Top marks.

Not the cheapest but by far the best range of everything and best selection of gifts and craft…read morebeers of any big chain . Easy to find well organised store and knowledgeable staff.

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!