The Drinks Emporium

A great selection of rare spirits, wines, and champagnes. They do sell most high street spirits also. It is worth a visit just to see what they have. They also offered us a sample of St Nicholas Abbey 5 and 10 year old rum to try.

I was thinking on how to describe The Drinks Emporium and the only way I can is it’s like the bigger, more sophisticated brother of Wine Lord (see my review of the Lord for context).
Located a bit out of the way up by the Matalan near the Aston Expressway the Drinks Emporium hosts one of the best selection of wines I’ve seen in a long time. Their slightly stark scaffolding and wood shelving is home to intelligently arranged wines and spirits as well as beers, ciders and other drinking paraphernalia from the reasonably priced all the way up to the bank bustingly ridiculous!
The staff are lovely, enthusiastic and stupendously knowledgeable and always happy to advise.
We popped in for the champagne tasting session last year which was absolutely fantastic. Seven (I think) champagnes were on offer to taste that evening and we were talked through them all by the lovely gent from Laurent Perrier who gave us an insight into the world of champagne manufacturing and, of course, champagne consumption!
All in all a great place to pop in for a nice bottle of wine or two for a Friday night in or for a really special present for the alcohol aficionado in your life.

It’s a late review but nonetheless it counts! We had a fabulous evening just before Christmas with the Laurent-​Perrier team! Safe to say my head hurt!

I’m so glad this place opened — since it has, I’ve been there three times, and not just to purchase a bottle from their vast array on offer but to tastings as well. Situated on the Aston Road near the A38 you could be forgiven for missing it, but don’t! It would be a mistake not to go. There is parking available outside so there’s not even a need to walk.
You have to buzz for entry, but once inside you’ll see why. There’s a large selection of wines, champagnes, spirits and beers on offer. The décor is well laid out and there are seats should you feel the need to sit down just to take it all in! There is a huge amount of champagnes to cater for every taste ranging from Moet to Bollinger to Dom Perignon. Right in the back corner is a separate section for the more exclusive bottles — I suggest you go have a look at least.
There’s the normal range of spirits but there are loads of more distinct and different brands on offer. I managed to get hold of a flavoured bottle of Absolut that nowhere else had in stock. The staff are brilliant — when I went in looking for a bottle of rum for my boyfriend who loves the stuff, they showed me various ones similar to the ones he has already tried (by the way — the recommendation was amazing and my boyfriend loved it). I’ve been back several times to buy beer, spirits and wine.
The prices are reasonable and similar to those you’d get online — I’ve always managed to find what I’ve wanted for a great price. As it has more speciality items, I know I’ll be back to further sample the range.

This place was easily identifiable from the road with its unique and smart glass exterior. The location is the best for parking or access from the ring road, but if you were purposelessly coming to this venue then you would have no problems, as you would know the location prior!
We were welcomed with a smartly dressed and well spoken attended and guided through the store. There was a variety of options with a variety of prices, something to suit everyone! Very impressed and would most certainly recommend!

Step off the busy Aston Expressway as you leave Birmingham to enter a treat of a store! I was distracted by the huge range of bottles from the second I arrived and I could quite easily spent an hour just looking at items.
There’s parking right by the door and several rooms to explore!
I came to an exclusive Champagne tasting (I was torn between this and the Port Tasting!) as I knew there were fellow Birmingham Unilocalers going. However I really was glad I came to the Champagne tasting!
This is a cave of drinks, truffles, glasses and exclusive items! This is drinks for the experienced buyer and the experienced staff really help those who are unsure with their choices.
The silver pipework on the units reminds you that Birmingham is growing up pretty fast but its industrial heritage is never more than a nod away.
It was great to know there were some limited beer bottles for a fiver should you wish to pop in for a couple of bottles.
Look out for their exclusive events in 2015!

When I heard about a new specialist off-​license opening in Birmingham, I was pretty intrigued. Birmingham already has a great selection of shops specialising in wine, whisky, beer and more interesting brands, but a lot of these in the City Centre are specialist stores (mainly focusing on one thing, rather than a wide range). I spotted the brand pop up on Twitter and had a quick look at their website to have a look at what was going on…
As the shop has just opened in Birmingham, they were offering a range of tastings to introduce people to great brands, different ranges and their shop. My eyes were drawn to the Laurent Perrier Champagne tasting and I booked right there and then. Futhermore, I sent it out to the Unilocalers to let them know what was going on too! Thus a plan was hatched to take the Unilocal Birmingham Community down to this new venue for a night of champagne and meeting one of the newest businesses in town.
Now, first thing… The shop is in a bit of a difficult place. It does offer limited parking outside and if you can, driving down is recommended. You can get to it from the City Centre, but it takes you to the outskirts of the city (a little off the beaten track). We met by the Children’s Hospital on Steelhouse Lane and walked down as a group.
We immediately spotted it. A very smart exterior (with large glass windows and trees outside) presented itself as we walked down the street. As this area of Birmingham is mainly large warehouses, this shop jumps right out at you. As a top tip, you need to ring the buzzer for entry inside, but we were let in and greeted warmly straight away.
With a glass of champagne in our hands, we were given time to go and peruse the wares that it offers. As well as one of the largest champagne selections I have seen, there is a very comprehensive range of wines, spirits and beers available. I was particularly impressed with the Vodka offerings (showcasing many brands or types that I hadn’t seen before); prepare to be impressed.
The interior design is minimalist, but striking. I loved the light fittings and the scaffolding style shelves. It’s also lit to perfection, making every item in the shop look like an exciting treasure waiting to be purchased. I was pretty impressed with the prices too! With craft beers from £2 and quite specialist spirits from around £20, many of the items are not as expensive as you might find them elsewhere.
The tasting gave us a real feel for the personalities and sense of humour of the owners of the store (who took the time to introduce themselves to all of the attendees) and a sense of what they’re trying to achieve. The main drawback is the location, but if you can either make the journey on foot (it –IS– only 10 minutes walk from Steelhouse Lane) or car, a visit is well worthwhile. We ended up purchasing 3 bottles of craft ale (the brands of which we hadn’t seen before), a gorgeous bottle of clear prosecco (it IS Christmas, after all) and a bottle of habanero Stoli for £44.70.
Make a point of visiting this Aladdin’s cave of alcohol. You never know what you might find.

Wow, I’m so glad Vicky O. spotted an event at this place! A group of us Unilocalers headed down to this brand new shop (only 4 weeks old!), for a champagne tasting night. I’m so glad I went!
The shop is a short walk from the City Centre, just past Lancaster Circus and was surprisingly easy to find. The outside and shop window were very inviting and of course when we went inside we were even more impressed. It is softy light and simply decorated, but has a classy feel to it.
The range of alcohol available was impressive. There were plenty of familiar names but many I hadn’t heard of. If you want to spend just £2 on bottled beer you can do that, or if you fancy splashing out, there is a cognac for £7,500 too!
Mark, the owner was such as nice friendly guy and made us all feel welcome.
The Lauren-​Perrier event was definitely worth attending and I hope to be able to go to some of their events in the future!