I bookmarked this place before our Boston trip to be sure wed have a bottle shop on our itinerary to pick up host gifts for our lovely friends. This place was a WHOLE experience. There is plenty of booze to choose from, and dont be fooled by the perceived tiny space, THERE IS A WHOLE basement full of wine as well. It kind of feels like you are in the stockroom when you are shopping downstairs. The staff were quick to say hello and offer assistance. Great selection and experience.

I had the best experience at Federal Wine & Spirits. The guys were great and the very best part is the trip to the basement wine cellar. It is a place for your Boston bucket list for the perfect bottle within your price point. Not to be missed!

What a wonderful place! I bought a bottle of wine here last night, and it was reasonably priced. I was also pleased and surprised by how entertaining and sweet the employees were. The wine tasted well to me as well. It was easier and appropriate. When I had free time, I went there because it was a wonderful place to visit. Thank you for making me happy, even though it has only been a short time.

This is a wine store for wine geeks, current and future. The guys who work there are always glad to help and offer terrific advice and options at any price. It may not look like much, but if you’re looking for a rare, weird, or secret great wine, this is the place to go. There’s a reason the downstairs cellar is packed full of orders for their large and loyal customer base.

Awesome hidden gem!The selection they have is amazing!Nice friendly staff willing to help get what you want if they dont already have it too!This was my 2nd time here and will be back many more times!

Small but a good selection! Nice staff, very accommodating!

Closed before the posted hours right in front of my face...6:45 on a thursday

Joe, Peter, and Len know more about beer, spirits, and wine than anywhere in country

I always buy great wines here around the holidays.

The owner of the store was so helpful. Best $15 and under wine! Checking this gem out will be worth your time. Wine tastings every Wednesday.

The best

Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Check out their basement cellar. We popped in to get a bottle of wine, and I was looking for some Armagnac. The fellows working there couldn’t have been nicer. They got a couple of bottles down and gave me the background on each. They helped me pick out a nice Bordeaux as well. If I lived in Boston I’d make a habit of getting my wine and spirits there. Everyone there had a pleasant, low-key manner.

This place is difficult to get to if you have a car, but its well worth the effort. My experience here was second to none. Joe is a true whiskey aficionado comma he has access to some of the best malts you could ever imagine, and if its possible to get it in the United States, he can get it for you. The stuff for friendly, helpful, and were even kind enough to let me sample some excellent scotch. This is one of the few true remaining examples of people who would rather build a good business relationship than make a few quick bucks. Im not a wine or beer drinker, but I will say that their selection of scotch is phenomenal comma and their prices are actually quite reasonable, even for some of the rarest stuff. I also have to give proper respect for the decor, theres some very nice original ceramic tiles on the walls.

So it was crazy storming when I visited this place. Its got enough brands to choose from. The owner was nice. Google map kinda circle you around so make sure to look thoroughly before turning back.

Peter’s knowledge is incredible. I’ve been going to various wine shops in Boston for years, and no one comes close to the level of discernment that Peter exhibits in his selections. If you have the opportunity, definitely try some of his wine. I’m pretty sure he has a story for every single bottle.

Joe is the absolute best when it comes to scotch. All of the employees are extremely knowledgable and helpful. This is the perfect place to go if you are looking for something outside the standard liquor store offerings. Easily the best store in Boston and one of the best in the country!

Great selection and they know their product!!

This is a great store. Service is very friendly and knowledgeable, and surprisingly quick, given that someone usually needs to climb a ladder or descend to the basement to grab your bottle. Communication is always very efficient and friendly if you need a special order. Im pretty sure they deliver, but Ive never taken advantage, since visiting the store is so much fun. Old school high ceilings and proximity to the Old State House make shopping here seem like an adventure.

The employees were very nice in helping us pick wine that fit well with our budget, unfortunately the wine was not great. I imaging if you are trying to get nicer wine this is a great place, if you want cheap wine try somewhere else.

Very limited selection but thats to be expected from such a hole in the wall location.

Visited in March before everything closed. Im the guy that didnt want to use your dirty pen to sign my credit card slip. Your response; get over It, everyone is going to get sick. Guess your vision was true. Btw; how is business now?

They sell singles for a 50c mark-up. Great if youre out of town and want to try the local crafts.b

Very limited selection.

Best place in Boston for your wine and spirits needs! Especially for Scotch/whisky (ask for Joe) and Italian wines (ask for Peter) that might be hard to find otherwise. Their French wine selection is also very impressive (ask for Len)

Amazing selection of wine, all tasted and selected by an amazing staff.

Recently while travelling through Boston, I tried to track down a liqueur that we cant get in Ontario. I stopped at a few liquor stores around the city... without any success. Most clerks didnt know/care when I asked them if they had it in stock. This location was the exception... They not only knew about the liqueur, they went out of the way to make sure it wasnt in stock and offered to order it for me in a few days. By far the best service Ive received at a lower store.

Awesome selection extremely knowledgable guys. Prices are a bit high but its a downtown liquor store so unaviodable.

Only stopped in for some beer, so I cant speak to other types of alcohol. It was tricky to find with google maps, especially with the construction going on. It showed it as just southeast of Allen Edmonds, in the same building. The directions told us to enter from Congress street, but the entrance is actually facing the big intersection of Devonshire/Congress/State.The store itself is pretty small. There was a decent selection of craft beers, but not a whole lot total. Wound up going elsewhere.

The entire staff is delightful. Theres a reason why this place was selected as Retailer of the Year by Malt Advocate, thats Joe Howell. When it comes to whisky/ey hes the most knowledgable person Ive ever met.Len and Peter know their wine and theyve surrounded themselves with an excellent staff, even interns who are dying to break into the trade. They also have the deepest selection of old world wines Ive ever seen. The backlog of older vintages is amazing and youll frequently find these treasures lying on the rack as they become ready to drink.

The best place in Boston for fine wine and great often rare whiskey

Great selection of fine wines at all prices with good, friendly advice. Dont be fooled by the scuzzy-looking ground floor; besides the many good bottles there, there is a much larger selection in the cellar.Their weekly free tastings are a great way to discover new wines without buying lots of duds. They also have an excellent selection of spirits -- brandies, eaux-de-vie, whisky, etc. Prices are reasonable and they deliver case quantities free.

Helpful and knowledgeable staff that do anything they can to help customers. They also have a wide selection of wines and good selection of hard liqour.

Great place to pick up spirits for our hotel stay; helpful, friendly staff!

Amazing selection. Staff was extremely helpful and willing to share their wealth of knowledge!

Very professional serviceHave a great knowledge in their businessThey will adjust the right drink to your exact need.Highly recommended

Great selection and Joe is super knowledgeable for fine scotches. Definitely worth a visit!

Amazing selection of wine, all tasted and selected by an amazing staff. Dont let the upstairs fool you, check out the cellar!

Great selection and some of the most knowledgeable wine minds in the city. Check out their tasting schedule.

Amazing whisky selection, but you have to ask for it. Their shelf space is too small to display it all.

These guys have a really good whiskey selection and are very knowledgeable.

Boutique vino stores. Very friendly and professional services.

Kind of dirty, but the coolest wine store ever! So many legendary things.

Friendly and great advice. The wine & spirit tastings are a highlight.

Amazing selection. Great knowledge.

Incredibile wines, and very competent people

Best old world wine selection in boston

The old men know there spirits!

Quaint and to the point.

Great selection, helpful and knowledgeable employees.

Somewhat small, disorganized selection of liquor, especially tequila. You might be out of luck if youre looking for a specific brand.

Be sure to look in the basement! Very small store front is deceiving, friendly local staff.

A surprisingly large selection of wines from around the world is downstairs. Complete with a full reservoir of knowledge between Len and Peter.

Excellent

New favorite scotch place

Fantastic scotch collection.

Very knowledgeable sommelier

Fantastically helpful staff

Great wine tastings on Wednesdays

Joe is the best!

Best wine store in Boston

To slow

Clean

Very welcome, a wide choice of wines in the basement, if you need the staff will give you very good advice

Wines from all over the world and expert advice - great!