I don't generally get excited about retail therapy. I abhor shopping for clothes. It's a chore…read morepurchasing home goods. Buying food is marginally more enjoyable. But when it comes to booze, I could go on all day. In a city where cocktails are questionable and scotch is king, Good Spirits Co is a gasp of fresh air to a drowning man. Not unlike Gerry's in Leeds/Soho or Astor Wines in NYC, this shop offers enough variety and substance to satisfy most any liquor lover. Beyond a product selection that could leave me browsing the shelves for hours, the staff is knowledgeable (and trying to become even more so!), welcoming, and the space is noteworthy in its own right. Ask about the cashier's counter sometime - it's a piece to be pondered and appreciated. I'm excited about the forthcoming tasting room to come, and hope that local Glaswegians come to admire and adore this liquid gold outlet for the treasure it already is.

good selection of bottles. but the most hostile sales person…read more(with the short bleached hair) I ever met in Scotland. I will take my custom elsewhere.

This is what a customer emailed to the IWSC -…read more Every visit is a pleasure. Kim and Stuart are accommodating, knowledgeable, friendly and willing to go that extra mile to help or answer any queries. I can even take my children along safe in the knowledge they can sit at the little table with crayons and paper while I have a glass of wine and a chat and make my purchases. They carry an excellent range of wines and spirits catering for all tastes and every budget or occasion. Mostly Wine is how shopping should be, I cannot recommend them highly enough. - Jay Todd

Very helpful team and make great suggestions on alternatives. There on a golf trip and I wanted a…read morenice bottle as a gift for my host. They picked just the right bottle.

We had a whisky tasting and Ana was amazing. She was encyclopedic w her knowledge of whisky and its…read moreintricacies. So many to choose from but alas can only bring one bottle home. The tasting helped narrow down the choices though.

Despite getting the wellies out, the poncho's purchased and the ark carved for Taste, it was sadly…read morecancelled, so Saturday was spent checking out the great places Edinburgh has to offer. Also, thanks to twitter, I found out that we could still 'taste' as The Bon Vivants Companion and Sipsmith had hastily arranged a tasting in place of the scheduled stand at Loch Meadows... The Sipsmith tasting was fab and the Summer Cup with its fresh hints of cucumber (which I normally loathe) was a revelation and has ruined Pimms for me due to its superiority. The Sipsmith Gin was also great - even neat and is a new favourite. Could I be biased about TBVC? Well, as someone who loves the Bon Vivant, I've also checked out TBVC which is also totally fab all of the time and never disappoints which is why all these reviews are all 5 stars. . Staff really know their stuff - I hate discovering a certain type of wine when I've been travelling to discover, I'll never see it again just because I've returned home and I speak to someone in a Wine Merchants who has no idea and won't offer to do a bit of hunting for me. Not the case at TBVC and even 'Its really rare' won't put them off. If you are looking for some of the rarer spirits and great wine, this is the place to come as a first stop instead of trudging round town and getting sore tootsie's. Yes, there is some high end stock but there's also some reasonably priced bottles. It is definitely the place to come for some special occasion wine or a boozy gift :-) I'm hoping to attend some of the regular tastings held in the basement this year now I'm twitter stalking and at the risk of letting the secret out, this is a great way to find out what is happening here. The guys at the Bon Vivant and Bon Vivant's Companion are great at posting events on twitter, hence attending the last minute Sipsmith tasting. TBVC - just awesome and I love it :-)

I've joined the raving party as The Bon Vivant's Companion literally made my night after a…read moredisappointing meal out. Anchor Steam? In Edinburgh? Snuggled in beside Le Chouffe? Interested in my recommendation to check out Lost Coast (Downtown Brown and Tangerine Wheat Beer.... YUM) to import? Bring these babies in as well as the summer beer from Anchor Steam and you have my heart in your hands. Oh and Zichichi wine too, please. When the designated driver more excited about finding beer than eating food, you know you are onto a winner. Hugs to this place, and lots of them!

We popped in on a whim while on holiday because it was cold and I spied the liquor! We were very…read morepleasantly surprised. The ladies there were very knowledgeable, answering any and all questions we had, and offered samples as well! Who knew? The liquors we tried were all very good, flavorful, rich and definitely lend themselves to experimentation. My favorite was the Gooseberry however we enjoyed the Black Currant as well. Honestly, we didn't try one thing that wasn't exceptional. The down low is that if you use or enjoy oils, vinegars, or liquors, you really should stop in. Small batches of all these items. You get great information while trying before you buy. Bring back your bottles for discounted refills! We ended up making a purchase as a gift and some to fly home with. We most definitely will go back on all of our return trips.

I stumbled upon Demijohn by mistake and then entered the establishment with the express intention…read moreof not buying anything at all. What. A. Fail. Demijohn is a so-called 'liquid deli' on Victoria Street, right off the Grassmarket, which is, in my most humble opinion, the place for quirky shopping. It's also the area that will have your money flying out your pockets before you've had the chance to figure out what's going on. So, my flatmate and I stumbled into the shop, dazzled by the large curvaceous bottles on display in the shop window. These are the kind of bottles that look like they belong in an apothecary or in a giant's chemistry lab. All we wanted to do, in that very naive way of ours, was to have a few tasters of the delicious, decadent looking alcohol. The woman who worked there was very kind and patient, and not at all put off by our excited yelps at all the different delicious liqueurs and spirits that swam in the bottles, which were many times the size of our heads. Me, I'm a fan of port. I know some people find it sickening, but I'll choose port over dessert (almost) any day. I also love elderberries. Demijohn, would you believe, has elderberry port! We were sold. Apart from deliciously fruity liqueurs, whisky and sloe gin, Demijohn also has an array of olive oils and vinegars that look to die for. The deal with this place is that you have to buy a bottle. The apothecary kind. The prices range from 10 pounds up, depending on the size of the bottle. Then, you try the different delectable boozes, point excitedly at the one you crave, and get your bottle filled. Not only do you get tasty liquids from this process, but a pretty snazzy vessel for it too. You can come back and refill your bottle at any time so that you don't have to spend money on another. Demijohn is just plain awesome. I highly recommend stopping by to have a look. At your own risk, that is.

If you are in the market for buying a special or unique whisky for yourself or a special occasion,…read morethen you must go here. We were able to taste test the bottle we chose before purchasing and also got a quick rundown of similar whiskies to help us narrow down our choices. We were so excited we ended up buying two bottles. This small shop is a hidden gem along the bottom end of the royal mile and everyone who works there is so knowledgeable about their selections.

Unbelievable knowlegdable staff. Did not feel like a tourist trap. Incredible selection and a fun…read morespace. If you are looking to uy some scotch, and I know you are, this is your place.

If only more off licenses were like WoodWinters…read more... An independent business run by passionate wine and whisky lovers, WoodWinters is beautifully laid out with crates of wine and liquor on polished wooden floorboards. There's a staggering array of fine red, white and rose wines and a small but impressive selection of whisky. Run by knowledgable Scots, there's mini and full size bottles from a variety of national distilleries like Ardbeg, Bowmore, Benrinne, Linlithgow, Dailuaine and Port Ellen. Whilst you can get a good bottle for around £30-£40, they also sell some spectacular 25 and 30 year old whiskies from Rosebank, Tomatin and Glenfarclas. Samples are available but be prepared, you'll have to splash out £150 - £330 if you want to take a bottle home.

Came in for a tasting. £5 to taste 6 summer wines, with pizza and water to wash it all down. Left…read morewith 3 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of heather ale. This marketing scheme, it's working! Actually, what really works here is the passion and friendliness of the owners, who will chat with you about the wines, the weather and everything in between, who clearly care enough about their wares to learn all about them and to recommend you a wine that might be entirely different from everything you're tasting. The selection is great, from lower-priced wines that don't taste like low-priced wines to the top-shelf stuff. There's also whisky, brandy and port, some ales and a few local liquors. Oh, and they do stamp cards! I was won over after one tasting. It's not even remotely in my neighborhood, but you bet I'll be back for my future wine purchases (working up to that free bottle)!

I was enticed in this place by all the yummy looking wines and whiskeys and all the other goodies…read morehere. They have a great selection of wines and other artisan spirits that you can normally find elsewhere in the city. There is a little shelf that has £7 and under selection so that's pretty cool I think! Also the staff are always good and charming . They will answer all your questions and help you decide what to try. I'm not sure if they ever do wine tasting here but if they did/do that's even better! They have some interesting stuff in here, I want to try the Japanese whiskey. For some reason that sounds really unique to me and that will be my next item to purchase . They are a bit expensive but I suppose that's understandable being an artisan wine and other-things-that-get-you-drunk store. So stop on in folks browse around and if you get anything that's super yummy let us know!

Stopped in here while touring through the Royal Mile and was not disappointed. Excellent selection…read moreand variety as well as multiple people in the shop to assist with questions and suggestions. Loved the organization and overall atmosphere in here as everyone seemed highly passionate about providing top notch service.

We flew from Santa Barbara to Edinburgh over Thanksgiving by way of Seattle and London. Our son…read morelives in Edinburgh and the last 2 times we have visited him, British Airways has lost our luggage. One time, we didn't get it back until 3 weeks later, just a few days before our departure. The luggage sitch in EDI is an utter nightmare, and has been the subject of numerous travel articles I've read. So, this trip, I was ready for it and had bought and tucked some Apple AirTags into our check-in bags. I noticed when we departed Seattle that it looked like hubby's luggage was still in Seattle, while mine was clearly on the plane. I mentioned it to him, but he wasn't concerned, saying the app was not updating or some such other techno BS. Hours later, over the polar cap, I noticed his bag was still in Seattle, while mine was in the plane and suggested again that his bag was "lost" in Seattle. Nah, he replied. The software wasn't working properly. Now, hubby is a senior software developer and he spent a good chunk of his career as an Apple developer. So, this guy was telling me that the tech wasn't working on an Apple product? Ha! So, I wagered a friendly bet and we shook on it. If his luggage was on the plane and not lost in Seattle, I would treat him to whatever he wanted to do in Edinburgh. But, if his luggage was lost in Seattle as I believed and the AirTag indicated, then he would owe me a whisky tour of Edinburgh, something I've always wanted to do. Hours later we landed in London and could clearly see my bag was with us and his was in Seattle, but the BA desk could not confirm that and hubby stuck to his guns that the software wasn't working properly. Meanwhile, I was planning my whisky tour! Well, you can guess the next part. One short flight to Edinburgh and we arrived on a cold, wet night and guess whose bag didn't make it? And guess who won her whisky tour bet?!!! I'm not really much for organized tours, so I decided to create my own whisky tour and it was fabulous! Here's how it worked... Having had a major foot surgery about 6 months before the trip, I would periodically have some foot pain, what with all the cobblestones and hills in Edinburgh. Whenever that happened, we would stop into a pub and ask the bartender to give me a double shot of his or her favorite, smoothest peaty scotch whisky, along with some sparkling water. I ignored the smirks I got over the sparkling water, which a Scot would NEVER put in their whisky, and I wound up drinking some wonderful whisky that way and learned a lot about them from the bartenders! At one stop, the bartender met with my request by serving me Raasay, which was hands down the best scotch whisky I had on my self-directed whisky tour!. The Raasay is produced and distilled on the Isle of Raasay. It is a single malt, lightly peated scotch whiskey, balanced with rich, dark fruity flavors. A few days before we left Scotland, I began the search for where I could buy the Raasay batch RO2.1 to take home with me. I tried a few places, but they either didn't carry Raasay or didn't have the same batch. That is, until I walked into Royal Mile Whiskies. Not only did they carry the Raasay, but they had the right batch. They also offered me another similar whisky to sample that they thought I might like, and I did, so I bought that one too! It was an easy transaction and they beautifully packed up my whisky purchases in bubble bags to fit safely in my luggage all the way back to CA! Also, I noticed the price I paid was the same as Raasay has on their website and was not more expensive just because I bought it on the Royal Mile. I got home with unbroken whisky in my luggage and have enjoyed the heck out of it. Next time I'm back in Edinburgh, I'll be stopping in for more Raasay and whisky recommendations from the knowledgeable and very accommodating staff. It remains to be seen if hubby will wager an AirTag bet with me again, but here's hoping!

This is a really convenient OddBins and the staff is friendly. They have a good beer selection,…read moreincluding many in the fridge. The wines are labelled by region and they always have some on sale which is great!

Not a bad little wine shop at all. I have walked past this place lots of times and still I had not…read morestopped in. So today the god of wine Dionysus must have struck me because I had the worst hankering for a nice bottle of Syrah. I went on in and had a look around. The place is a good size and had a massive selection as well as good prices. The lady up front asked me if I needed any help, I politely told her I was just browsing and continued to walk around the store. I was throughly impressed. There was a good selection based on different countries like France, Italy, act. I usually drink my Italian wine, got to stick to my roots and keep it real ;) but I saw a good priced bottle of French Syrah. Its one of the best Syrah I have ever had. I let it breath for about 30mins before dinner and then had it with some chocolate! So if your looking for a good bottle of wine or whiskey or other spirit and not at a bad price head on down here. They also do wine tastings ( not sure when) so you can try their goodies. So check this place out even if its just to browse , as I will be back for another bottle of the French Syrah!