What happens when two guys go for a drive in search of quality booze?  A BOOZEHUNT!

As a matter of fact, it was the First Annual BoozeHunt: BoozeHunt 2013.  We’ve been on WineHunts before; searching for quality wines at decent prices… or over the top awesome wines at any price.  But this was our first BoozeHunt. (Yes, we still bought wine.)

Dan’s wife was out of town and my wife was content at home with the garden, so we headed out for booze!

I put on my hunting gear:

• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Walking shoes

And, because I do have forethought from time to time, I made a list of hooch I wanted to score and how much they cost for our local Big Booze Store:  BevMo.  It’s always nice to have a baseline.  When prepping for your own BoozeHunt, make a list and get prices from a reputable shop.  This way, you’ll know if you’re getting a deal or getting ripped off.

For BoozeHunt 2013, we stuck to the Peninsula: between San Francisco and San Jose.  First stop: K & L.

K & L has a fantastic selection of wine, and they are no slouches when it comes to the hard stuff, either!

It wasn’t on my list, because I have a bottle at home, but they carry High West Rendezvous Rye, you know, the Best Whiskey Ever Created, for about $20 LESS than the big booze store!  I couldn’t believe it.

However, they didn’t have the Gin on my list, didn’t have one of the Tequilas I was hunting, didn’t have the Sake I wanted, didn’t have the Vodka I was hunting, and the one Tequila on my list that they did have was actually a tad more expensive than the big booze store.

Dejected, I looked at wines… and found two bottles I had to have.  Heh, ah well.  May not have bagged the big one, but I did score two trophies.

Onward and upward!  We loaded up the truck with our booty and ventured to: Beltramo’s.

It turns out that Beltramo’s is a target rich environment… loaded with friendly, helpful staff who aren’t afraid to share their opinions of hooch and vino.

We steeled ourselves and went stalking!

Espolon Blanco, Don Julio 70th Anniversary, and Aviation Gin all quickly leapt into my basket!

And then I saw it… my first big score:
Jewel of Russia Classic… $10 cheaper than I’d ever seen it!  But right next to it, Jewel of Russia ULTRA for the same price as Jewel of Russia Classic everywhere else!  SCORE!!

I was feeling pretty happy with myself as we walked though the walls of beers on our way to wines.

Finding the Sake section, I was again saddened.  A fairly small selection, and it didn’t include the Gekkeikan I was seeking.

Fairly saddened by this turn of events, I ventured on to the wines.  Plenty to choose from… but nothing really caught my eye.

Some nice Italian whites, lovely Spanish reds… Every region of France represented.  Dan scored some German whites and Italian reds… even a Pinot from Macedonia. But I was underwhelmed.  So, we headed for the checkout.

And then I saw it.

The Prisoner.  In a magnum. WE WANTS IT!  Yes, my impulse buy was a magnum of a Cabernet Sauvignon & Zinfandel blend from Napa Valley.  Hey, the heart wants what the heart wants!

Other than the no-show on the Sake I wanted, BoozeHunt 2013 was a success!  Armed with a knowledge of what other shops were charging, a BoozeHunt can be fun and informative.  And the after-party… well, that’s another story!