I’ve been vacationing in Siesta Key, Florida for the past 10 years or so and I’ve been on a hunt for a good bourbon spot. If I have a day of rain or if I want to end the night on the balcony overlooking the ocean with a pour of bourbon, I want to make sure it’s a good one (or at least something interesting). And since I don’t want to put a bottle in my suitcase for the plane, I had to find something in the area that would be my go to store.

When I first started going, I would always stop at the massive Total Wine and More that is south on 41. It had a huge selection of craft beer, wine, and spirits. I still enjoy stopping by here if I’m in the area, but on my last two trips, I found a place I like even more.

Dive Wine and Spirits

Located just off the island (off the Stickney Point Bridge), is a hidden gem of a liquor store for bourbon lovers. After you get your shopping done at the great big Farmer’s Market grocery store (or before you even start), I recommend making a stop in this store. And this is for a few different reasons:

Reason 1 – There Is A Great Selection

This store looks like a really small outside, but it actually holds quite the selection inside (specifically of bourbon). You are going to find a lot of your standard selections, but there are also a lot of odds and ends in the store. I find the selection of bourbon is a bit more curated that most liquor stores I go into and browse. When I would go into a Total Wine and More, I would see a bunch of stuff that I could see on a shelf in Indiana. When I walk into Dive Wine and Spirits, I see a lot more of the unique stuff. And this is the main reason I love going to this store.

Reason 2 – There Are A Lot Of Store Picks

As I have mentioned before on this blog, I am huge fan of barrel picks. And that’s one thing I noticed a lot of in Dive Wine & Spirits. They have a lot of different barrel picks (actually a whole table at the front). I did a blind buy of a heavy rye (with dice on the label) and it was just ok, but I think I literally just picked wrong. A smart person would have walked back to the bar in the back (you read that right) and try a few before buying a bottle.

Side note: I’m not quite sure who the Eskimo Brothers are, but they seem to have a lot of influence of the barrel picks and they really love the ryes and the finishing of bourbon in other barrels (wine, sherry, etc). And they have a thing for crazy labels.

Reason 3 – The Freaking Bourbon Bar In The Back

This might be my favorite reason to stop at this liquor store. There is a freaking bourbon bar in the back. If you didn’t know any better, you would have no idea this even existed. Consider this your enlightenment and your invitation.

And the selection of bourbon (and rums for that fact) is incredible. I pulled one of their bourbon lists down and you can see the line up here (this is subject to change, but it’s a great reference point as you consider making a stop. This has now become a regular stop on each trip down to Siesta Key (and I’ll be stopping again when I head back down).

Reason 4 – They Host Events (Ones That I Want To Attend)

The last time I was in this store, I was sitting at the bar with my wife and we noticed that they were preparing for some sort of event. They had these nice bags together and they were also printing off menus. After a little prying, we found out that had a huge Willett Dinner scheduled for that evening. I got to see the menu (food and bourbon/rye tasting) and I wanted to go, but they sold out.

Then I started following them on Facebook and started to see some of their other events. And dang – They seem to be doing something almost every day of the week.

Here is just a sample of some of the events they have hosted this year.

Conclusion

If you are headed to the Sarasota area, you need to at least stop by and check out Dive Wine and Spirits. I would suggest setting aside around an hour to browse and to enjoy a cocktail or pour from the bourbon bar in the back. If you are lucky enough to be there when they have an awesome event, please let me know how it goes!

I’ve also heard they have a sister store (no idea if this is true or not) called the Liquor Locker. I hope to take a stop and check that out as well.