VA ABC Store

I know I’m being a bit unfair with my rating, but it definitely reflects my current opinion of this place.
I have been inside twice. Well, scratch that. I’ve attempted to go inside twice. Both times, I couldn’t actually see the selection because they lock the doors after 7:30 PM. You have to order through a window if you want some booze past that time. I get it, safety and whatnot… But 7:30? How am I supposed to know exactly what kind of scotch they carry if I can’t look through the selection? I don’t want to bug the poor man and make him run back and forth from the window to the aisles with different bottles, just so I can compare brands and prices.
I can’t even comment on the prices, as I have yet to successfully browse this place’s stock. I have a strong suspicion that I’d be better off heading into DC or MD if I’m looking for cheap liquors.
I’ll update my review again when I can successfully browse their selection, but as of right now, an irritated me barely thinks this place is worth two stars.

Reasonable prices, and had exactly what I needed.

I never really have high hopes for this ABC store. Maybe because it’s state-​run and maybe because about a year ago, they accused me of being underage («How old are you?» «24» «No, you’re not!») …but every time I make a trip here, I am surprisingly impressed. They have a great selection of classy liquor AKA small batch bourbon and expensive liqueurs with price tags that make me cringe! When compared to the prices online, however, the ABC charges equal or less (yay!). The people who work here are very friendly and the store is clean and safe with a decent parking lot. I guess the only downsides of state-​run liquor stores in VA are that if you’re looking for something really strange and/​or inappropriately unclassy, you’ll probably need to head into DC.

If you live in Virginia, you are stuck with one, state run liquor store. Most of this branch’s employees are not tremendously helpful or knowledgeable about their products. Worse, many of the (state-​set) prices are higher than surrounding jurisdictions (DC, MD, PA), which adds to the frustration.
It is a liquor store, though, with instant lottery tickets. The homeless-​looking people loitering about the parking lot seem more dangerous than they’ve so far proven to be.

This place locks the doors as it gets later in the day. You have to know what you want so the cashier can get it for you. I guess they’ve had some security problems in the past. I gave it a four based on how clean it looked and the variety of liquor I could see from behind the glass door.

I should’ve known! The omnipresent Brian B has already graced the VA ABC store in Alexandria with his presence and Unilocaled about it! So, consider this a follow-​up review of sorts since, I think, the same «middle-​aged dude in the worker cap who always greets you with „My Man!“ in that gruff voice of his whenever you walk up to the counter» was there to ring up our sale although he may have been sans worker cap.
Anyway, this was my first venture into a Virginia’s state-​run liquor store… ever…which is somewhat surprising since I’ve lived in Virginia for over six years! Consider me a late arrival to liquor stores run by «The Man». The ABC store on St. Asaph St. occupies a smallish and unremarkable space in an unremarkable strip mall. The state of Virginia or the uptight residents of Old Town Alexandria must not want anyone to know that they sell «demon alcohol» in the neighborhood since there was minimal signage to let you know there’s an ABC store which was made even more difficult to find since I didn’t encounter Brian B’s aforementioned «drooling drunks» doing the zombie shuffle. Of course, we were there in the middle of the afternoon so perhaps they were still sleeping it off.
Once inside, the store served up a pleasant surprise. The selection of whiskeys was, perhaps, one of the best I’ve seen in any liquor store in the DMV. Small-​batch bourbons? Check. Ryes? Check. Corn «squeezin’s»? Check. Scotchy, scotch, scotch? Check. Irish Whiskey? Check… But seriously, who drinks that other than in an «Irish Car Bomb»? Their vodka and rum selections were also impressive. They also showed their support for in-​state micro-​distillers by carrying the full range of Catoctin Creek and Copper Fox Distillery (Wasmund’s) spirits as well as a very small selection of Virginia wines from Mountfair Vineyards and Kluge. The only disappointment was their selection of liqueurs since we were unable to find a bottle of Cherry Heering. Still, we found everything else we were looking for at competitive prices, so we were satisfied. Topping off our trip was the excellent customer service. When we brought our selections to the counter to pay, the «middle-​aged dude in the worker cap who always greets you with „My Man!“ in that gruff voice of his whenever you walk up to the counter», he saw our bottle of Gosling’s Rum and immediately went to the back to find the promo package which included a liter of Gosling’s ginger beer with the fifth of rum. Now THAT’S great customer service! We’ll be back!