Federal Wine & Spirits

I have been hunting all over the city for a rare bottle bottle of Bruichladdich single malt Scotch whisky. I’ve been to at least half a dozen stores in Boston, Cambridge, and environs for this one bottle. Turns out, they have it right behind the counter at Federal Wine & Spirits, ready for me to buy. We get to talking about Jim McEwan, the Master Distiller at Bruichladdich who personally designed and created this particular whisky, and it turns out that Jim has done a personal appearance at the store. I am very impressed. I have found my go-​to place for Single Malts.

Walked in on a Thursday afternoon looking for some help selecting a Port or Madeira. Everyone at the shop completely ignored the fact that I was searching (no «how can I help you» here). After 10 minutes of wandering I found what I was looking for myself (Madeira from the Rare Wine Co.), but was so disgusted with the complete lack of customer service that I just walked out.
I recommend the Wine and Cheese Cask in Somerville instead.

Absolutely horrible experience at this liquor store. Called to set aside two bottles of nice wine for a special dinner. They told me over the phone that they had 8 bottles in stock and we’re going to set aside a couple bottles so I could pick them up later. When I arrived to purchase the wine, they told me to come back tomorrow because they couldn’t find the wine. Terrible customer service and no client should ever be treated this way. I will certainly seek another store for my wine in the future.

Came in asking about several bottles they have on the shelves — all seemed to be the guys «personal collection» and not for sale. Couldn’t have been a worse experience.

Federal Wine & Spirits is a wonderful shop — run by true aficionados of what they sell. The store is quirky, «old curiosity shop» in the best possible way — backed by knowledge of their product, and friendly service. They are happy to offer worthwhile suggestions if you ask them.
Most times I have gone to them, I’ve been looking for a gift — a good quality bourbon, rye, or port. Joe is a wizard of bourbon, malt and rye. Their prices were in line with Boston — in a few cases, were actually below other places. Also, they do not gouge. When I was asked the price limit I had in mind, their top suggestion was below that price.
And this to share: the last time I was in there, my credit card was rendered invalid — an over– zealous security feature related to travel. I handed over the cash I had on me — which was several dollars short of the price. They not only trusted me to take the item and return later with the difference, they made sure I had the wherewithal to get home. Wow. It’s like a Mike Barnicle Christmas column — except it really happened. Business like it ought to be!

this is the only place in boston i go to buy wine; it’s to the point if they are closed, i cringe shopping elsewhere because i know it is just a waste of money.
i have never bought a bad bottle of wine here, even in the $ 9 – 11 price range. i always get fantastic recommendations and the owners/​staff there are very knowledgeable.
i disagree with a review i read that this store is overpriced; you are always getting value wines for the money that have been tasted and selected for quality. For eg: the greystone cab is $ 11, house wine for the culinary institute of america, is a solid buy and easily compares with a $ 20 bottle.
they also offer discounts if you buy a case and will deliver the wine to your house if you are in boston proper.
if you are looking for knowledgeable wine recommendations and/​or value wines, i would highly recommend going here.

This liquor store has a wonderful selection…
a wide range of affordable wine and spirits.
Staff: friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.
THE DEAL: sign up for their mailing list
to attend their FREE wine tastings in Boston!

I must have walked past this place a million times before stumbling upon it after a rather disappointing experience at BWX. Boy am I glad I did.
It’s a small space lacking the frills but, really, I couldn’t care less. They are great where it counts. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and they have a great selection of wine and whiskey. I’m no wine snob but I do love the stuff. Too, I’m a sucker for a good story behind a grape or vineyard which is why I was sold when Peter regaled me with the story behind the Masseria Li Veli Susumaniello. I was a willing listener and for some wine chat but I bet you could get in and out pretty quickly if you had even the vaguest idea of what you were looking for.

This laid back little shop has an excellent array of liquors and an extensive wine cellar in the basement, including rare wines. Dropping into this shop looking for a Bordeaux for a competitive wine tasting was a stroke of luck because a) I know almost nothing about Bordeaux, b) the owner, Lenny, knows lots, and c) they can be expensive. The staff spent almost an hour discussing the type of wine I was looking for, the food that it might be paired with and some of the more interesting observations on tastings. Excellent customer service and a good selection (downstairs) has made this place my go to shop for wines and liquors.

I came to this store because a friend of mine was in the hospital and several of us had chipped in to buy him a good bottle of whiskey as a get well present. I was out of my element because this was going to be out of my usual price range, and I prefer Scotches while my friend prefers Irish whiskey.
Fortunately, the staff were thoroughly knowledgeable, had an extensive stock on hand, and happy to spend time figuring out the best bottle I could get. Everything turned out for the best, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll definitely be going back whenever possible.
Not to mention the free wine tastings every Wednesday … I might finally take the time to broaden my experience along those lines now!

Large selection, convenient location for Financial District and they deliver. Federal Wine & Spirits is my go-​to liquor store for office parties. They always have a wide selection of beer in stock (cold too) and they have all the fixins for mixed drinks as well. The delivery is very convenient and reasonable, staff is very helpful, friendly, and conscientiousness.

I went here after reading some of the reviews about their single malt selection.
As others have stated, it is small but only from a physical space standpoint. They have a wonderful selection of single malts. Joe was a fount of information and patiently listened to my questions and offered excellent suggestions.
I picked out a number of scotches for a tasting I am having as well as selecting a couple for my own personal collection.
I was there just after work so it was busy but I thought the staff did a good job balancing helping people and checking others out. I loved that they scraped the price tags off. I know that’s not a huge deal but it’s nice and illustrates their personal touch.

One of a handful of businesses owned and operated by real enthusiasts, the fellows at Federal Wine & Sprits are happy to make a gift or drinking recommendation based on price, food, occasion or event. They have a great and varied selection of wines, including many hard-​to-​find vineyard-​only bottlings.
For a store of such lilliputian stature, the selection of single-​malt scotches is brobdignagian in variety.
Their prices are very competitive, and they won’t forget to scrape the price tags off the bottles when you purchase them. Get to know them well enough and maybe they’ll offer you a taste of something now and again. Small business shopping is where it’s at, people.
Cheers.

Looks like an unassuming corner liquor store. Bums wandering out with unbreakable plastic bottles of vodka. Wine coolers in the fridge. But if you thought that, you’d be wrong. I mean as wrong as Michael Jackson’s doctor.
Arranged behind the counter and crammed in every nook from the shelves to the ceiling is Boston’s best stock of whiskey. Possibly the east coast’s best (Park Avenue Liquor… hmm).
If whiskey is the force, then Joe behind the counter is Yoda. If you have a question about the peat balance in a Blackadder bottling of Highland Park, he’ll know it. If you want to know which whisky is cheapest to mix with your discount RC cola, he’ll know it.
And if you make it downstairs, there are catacombs stacked with wine worthy of somewhere in Burgundy. Except they’re also stacked with computers and papers.
Great spot!

Federal Wine & Spirits wins on its expertly curated, deep inventory and encyclopedic product knowledge with no sales pressure. Every time I come in here I’m having a real conversation, not getting an over-​the-​top sales pitch on some high margin product someone is trying to unload.
This store is crammed and not ideal for browsing. Ask for what you want instead. Due to its location, FW&S gets both loyal high end financial district customers and the $ 10 buyer.

Every five years, on my birthday that ends with a 5 or the ever-​dreaded 0, I get a bottle of wine from the year I was born. It’s not a cheap habit. I don’t recommend it for the faint-​hearted. But every five years, I make that call to Federal, and voila, they happen to have a wine for me just lying around. It’s like they have a magic Harry Potter apparitioning closet or something in that teensy space.
Not going to kid you, the place is, for my reckoning (whatever that’s worth), one of the priciest stores in the area. But what they bring in is choice, prime, and guaranteed to impress your wine snob boss. It’s serious stuff. And if you ever want to know anything about scotch, their guy (Joe?) is the freaking best. A walking whisky encyclopedia.
So why am I dinging them with only three stars? I haven’t been happy with their customer service. They’re pleasant and polite, sure. But I’ve never felt welcome to browse there or take my time – it’s like they want to get me in and out as soon as possible to make room in their little basement for the Fidelity fatcats who can afford to spend $ 800 a visit.
And they sent me on a wild-​goose-​chase there and dropped the ball on follow-​up. I purchased a certain small-​production gin there; when it ran out, I called to see if they had more. The guy told me sure, there was a bottle, stop by, he’d put it aside. Well, when I made the special trip to get down there, nobody had set anything aside for me; in fact, the gin was sold out. They said they’d call when it was back. I’m still waiting to hear from them. In the interim, I found that gin for $ 10 less on Newbury Street.

After having terrible experiences at two other wine and liquor stores in the same day, this place was a welcome relief.
The location is easy to get to, and the staff is super helpful. There is a massive wine selection, and they are not lacking in spirits either. Prices are not cheap but they are mid range, average for the area.
There are tons of wines to choose from both downstairs and upstairs, and the staff are happy to let you sample wines.
The place is very small though, so be careful. I felt a little nervous with so many glass bottles in such a small room!

Oh my stars, this place is TINY! Do not come here if you’re like a bull in a china shop because the shelves don’t look sturdy enough to hold their contents as it is. Do not come here for an upscale wine-​shopping experience as they clearly did not spend any time on sleek ‘n’ chic décor (a la Central Bottle).
Do come here for the free Wednesday tastings.
Our party of 12 or so people squeezed into the absolutely tiny, squashed downstairs (preceded by the narrowest, most rickety little winding staircase ever) and had a pretty enjoyable time with the 7+ wines they kept pouring us. The featured wines themselves were on the whole underwhelming save for the last, but they poured pretty generous portions and were very knowledgeable of the different varietals. One of the staff, an older gentleman, was of the more snotty, old school wine snob type, but the rest were very friendly.
Interesting selection, too. Found a very strangely shaped bottle (curvy, to one side) of either Chilean or Argentinean wine (couldn’t tell and it didn’t say «Product of…» anywhere) that I’d never seen before. If I hadn’t been about to imbibe a ton of free wine and then go to a crowded Happy Hour dinner, I would’ve bought it. Will be back another Wednesday.

Quirky little location downtown filled with super nice people. Yes, it is tiny but it is SO much nicer than some of those impersonal warehouses around town.
You’ll find some real knowledge here and the best wine selection around. You’ll also see all kinds of eclectic customers popping in to buy a couple of cans of Bud, a fifth of bourbon and some wine… some really great wine. (Pre-​snow storm stocking up is an interesting time to observe the drinking habits of Bostonians. God forbid we get snowed in and run out of booze.)
I asked for a specific kind of wine from South Africa. Although they did not have it, they told me it would be easy to get and they’re big fans of South African wine. I’ll be back.

I don’t do well in tight spaces surrounded by breakable objects…
*flashbacks to antique shopping with mommy dearest*
It’s nice to have options when it comes to purchasing some booze in the financial district — PBR tall boys at work on random Friday afternoons are fine by me.
But buyer beware, the moment you step inside this shop you’re pretty much standing in line for check out. Prepare to watch your elbows and squeeeeeeeeeze into the beer fridges. You may be better off (or forced) to ask one of the clerks to grab items for you.
It’s like you gotta be Indiana Jones to maneuver this space without setting off a booby trap…
*Apparently they offer wine tasting events in the basement. Could be cool. But all I need is some beer as I wait for the clock to strike WEEKEND*