The Strath Ale Wine & Spirit Merchants

We came in on a cruise ship on the way back to Seattle (where we also live). I’m a huge cider fan and blogger (
). On a whim I looked up what liquor stores were close to the pier. The Strath was the closest one (about a 30 – 45 min walk) which looked promising. I looked up on Sea Cider’s website where their ciders are sold (as I wanted cider from them and similar artisan selections). I was quite pleased with the store’s cider selection. There were probably 40 options in the far right cooler case. They had from the low end (2 liter bottles for $ 11) to the high end (750 ml bottles for $ 20+). I came home with 5 bottles and a can, plus my husband found some Cuban rum (not yet available in the U.S.). Tons of wine, beer, and liquor too (the prices on the U.S. wines were good for a laugh, but I’m sure its typical for any import to have a markup). The service was great too. Score!

If I could give this place zero stars, I would do so in a heartbeat! I walked in and attempted to purchase some drinks and the cashier immediately refused to give me service. His reasons were that I am purchasing the «exact same drinks» as a man who he refused service to earlier. Seriously? I don’t know who he refused service to. All I thought was «WTF!» My response was «so, you’re not going to sell these to me?» with a smirk on my face because I partly thought this was some kind of joke. He replied «…Canada law… bootlegging is illegal.» That was it! I was extremely upset. He told me to simply go to another liquor store located two blocks away if I wanted drinks because he wasn’t selling any to me. I walked out and seriously never going back. Horrible service… actually, no service. I drove back to my hotel and went to the in-​house bar instead, which I should have done initially.
Of course, I am not going to let this experience ruin my trip. I’ll enjoy my time here in Victoria, BC until I take the ferry back home to Seattle, WA.

I’m a pretty easy lady to please — have a great scotch collection? Chances are we’re going to get along just fine. On this particular visit, I wasn’t in the market for a scotch but if I lived in the city, and was in need of a new addition? This place would definitely make the list. They have some bottles that are even hard to find on the mainland, and for that, I tip the hat.
But on this particular occasion, I was seeking wine, something i’m significantly less picky about. Two major pros to this spot? Not only do they have an impressive collection but I went seeking wine at 10pm… on a Monday… in Victoria. That’s a hard bargain to begin with. Finding this place open and well stocked was a sight for ferry worn eyes.
However, I will have to echo Katy on the sentiment — that though well stocked and open late, the service here leaves something to be desired. The collection is large enough that it warrants a few questions and although I was obviously conflicted — popping back and forth between aisles and aggressively reading every label in sight — neither of the two staff at the front acknowledged me until check out.
… and I was the only person in the store.
So for availability, location and ease? It’s worth your time. But for a place that’s toted as an independent «speciality» store, I hope future visits involve more engagement.

A little disappointed here today. My boyfriend and I strolled through and spent about 15 mins in the store. The selection is great, the prices are what’s to be expected in Canada, and we even spotted a few single malts and scotches that aren’t available in the states at all. What was disappointing was the complete lack of assistance or acknowledgement of our presence in the store. From the minute we walked in until the minute we walked out, neither of the two employees on shift said hi, offered to assist or answer questions, etc. And I don’t need to be babysat, but I think what was worst was that the two employees were complaining about another employee rather loudly. The whole time.
It was really off putting to hear such a personal and negative conversation while we were being ignored. So the booze was good but the customer service was certainly lacking.

I was not impressed with this place at all, It’s a convenient spot for the tourist visiting and needing a bottle of this or that and they have a funky scotch collection if you are looking for scotches. Their shining ray of awesomeness comes from one of the staff a blonde gal who was pleasant and seems passionate about the product she is talking about! But their beer guy on the other hand came across as a bit of a know it all and not that i know a tonne about beers… but don’t make me feel stupid when I am trying to buy a beer. Overall my few experiences have been mediocre… not sure i will ever go back

Girlfriends and I hung out in an Irish Bar while we were on vacation on the Island. We all felt old and got tired around 7ish PM. Therefore, we decided to find a liquor store and went back to our hotel room to continue drinking comfortably. I didn’t even notice there’s a liquor store. Everything shut down so early during off-​peak season on the island. However, my girlfriends had their eyes on alcohol and found this store they’ve spotted earlier.
They have a great selection of wines (it’s not a big store), beers, and hard liquor. In addition, they sell yummy kettle chips too. The store isn’t big but it’s clean and well arranged for customers to walk around. All the signs are indicated very well on the shelves.
We clearly knew what we wanted and picked a bottle with some snacks. Girls’ night in a hotel room with a bottle of wine and some snacks was definitely fun!

Gayle and I had a wonderful afternoon High Tea at the Fairmont Empress. Those little 3 layer trays don’t look like a lot of food, but don’t be fooled! The immediate consequence of this indulgence was a long brisk walk and a late evening snack inside our beautiful hotel room at the Magnolia. We bought some nice Canada cheese and sour dough bread at the nearby Market at Yates, and our BC Chardonnay and Rose at The Strath Ale, Wine, and Spirits Merchants.
I was impressed with the BC wine selection (primarily from the Okanagan Valley), although when you consider Dollar/​Loonie parity and the 12% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), a per bottle price point of $ 15 was about the best we could do price wise. I was also a bit disappointed with the overall wine knowledge of store staff. They were certainly friendly and helpful enough (Gayle calls this the Canadian gene). but I’m more used to folks talking up their wine selection with a little more enthusiasm and thought that I experienced here.
We chose well and came back one more during our trip to make sure that our Hotel refrigerator remained well stocked. We actually had some left over and that went down very well on our Victoria Clipper boat ride back to Seattle.

We stumbled upon this great independent beer and wine store during our last visit to Victoria.
They have a great selection of wine that you’re not going to find at your local BCL store and an even better selection of craft, microbrewery and European beers.
The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and best of all, non-​pretentious. The prices are a little higher then a government run liquor store but that’s to be expected, and the hard to find 9% Belgian beer is more than worth it in my mind.