Thursday, November 14, 2024

Drizly Is Shutting Down. These Are the Best Alcohol Delivery Services to Try Instead

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Best for alcohol delivery and takeout

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Best for wine delivery or local pickup

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Best delivery service for booze and groceries

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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

Whether you’re hosting or just want to have a drink for a night in, there are delivery services that can do the work for you. From craft beer to rare bottles, save yourself the trip with the best alcohol delivery services, starting with our top pick, Minibar.

Drizly, our previous top pick for alcohol delivery, is being shut down by its parent company Uber, according to a report by Axios. Uber purchased Drizly, a platform that allows local liquor stores to provide alcohol delivery, three years ago for more than $1 billion but has decided to close the 12-year-old business to “focus on our core Uber Eats strategy of helping consumers get almost anything — from food to groceries to alcohol.”

But despite its closing, there are a slew of other alcohol delivery service apps available to try. And for those who covet rare bottles of wine and whiskey (and don’t mind waiting for them) or prefer to have their booze sent alongside groceries or Thai takeout, there are even better options to get the goods delivered — with same-day delivery in some cases — and save on fees.

Below you’ll find the best alcohol delivery services to try in 2024.

Topping our list as the best alcohol delivery service, Minibar operates in 21 states and DC and delivers wine, beer and liquor to your door, typically in under an hour. It also offers statewide shipping within three to five days and an in-store pickup option at your local liquor store.

As with most same-day delivery service for alcohol, you’ll be limited to what Minibar’s area partner stores have in stock and sometimes inventory on the website doesn’t match what’s actually available.

The good news is that you’re supporting a small, local stores in most cases. The site stands out for its easy navigation, letting you quickly filter by type of alcohol, then store, country, size, container and price.

Note that alcohol delivery laws vary by state, so not every service is available in every location. Inventory also varies by store and service, so if something is out of stock now it may become available again soon.

Total Wine has a wide variety of liquor, beer and wine, and offers same-day alcohol delivery — and even snacks — across 24 states, as well as shipping and in-store pickup. If you’ve ever been in one of its stores, you know how much there is to choose from, including domestic and craft beer and spirits. If you are looking for good wine, its Winery Direct deals let you mix six bottles to get a discount. Bottles start as low as $3.

Saucey offers 30-minute delivery or two-day shipping of beer, wine and liquor, with no delivery fees or order minimums — the price is all rolled in, so what you see is what you pay (there are shipping fees, however). The catch is that it only operates its on-demand liquor delivery services in certain cities. Check your ZIP code here to see if your area is included.

Quick delivery and unlimited selection are the name of the game these days. Online meal kits, grocery delivery, butcher boxes and food subscriptions are saving people precious time and sanity by sending perfectly packaged goods to their doors. The same can be said for booze. Many of these alcohol delivery services work similarly to Uber Eats or GrubHub. You can browse the inventories of local liquor or grocery stores, and then an on-demand driver will be dispatched to pick up your items and deliver them to you.

If you live in a state that allows alcohol delivery from local restaurants, you can likely order drinks through your favorite food delivery app. Just open it up, navigate to the restaurant you want and see if beer, wine or alcoholic drinks are available. In 2022, Doordash started offering alcohol delivery in 20 states.

For more, check out our list of best food delivery services.

Home delivery is great, but if you’re going out to Walgreens or FedEx anyway, online retailer Wine.com lets you order and pick up at one of those store locations near you. The site boasts that it has the “world’s largest selection of wines,” and you can have the bottles of wine delivered to your home or to one of those local pickup sites. You can also sign up for the StewardShip program — a one-year subscription is $69, and gets you free shipping all year.

In 14 states, you can add wine, beer and liquor to your grocery delivery order from online grocery service Instacart. Orders are fulfilled by grocery stores in your area. Regular delivery fees apply, and you’ll need to show ID.

Are you a wine enthusiast? Winc is a wine-of-the-month club and wine subscription service that offers recommendations that it says will match your palate, based on a short quiz, for a monthly subscription of wine awesomeness. You can also search the site for whatever you prefer — whether that’s red wine like pinot noir, white wine such as sauvignon blanc or another type. Selecting four wines will get you free shipping each month, from both Winc’s own wines and bottles from independent wineries. Bottles start at $13 each. We named Winc the best wine subscription for most people thanks to the fact that it “provides an overall great value for the wines and a user-friendly site.”

Happy ordering! For more, check out our lists for the best meal kit delivery services, the best meat delivery and subscription services and the best coffee subscriptions to send to family and friends.


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