Duty Free Best Finds
Mar 15, 2008 | 8:55 am
#31
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Thanks BiziBB! My husband is sure our port was a Penfolds. It was fantastic!
The price was not over the moon. That was before the TSA nonsense. We carried home several bottles in my carry on bag.
Sadly long drunk!
Excuse to return to Sydney!
The price was not over the moon. That was before the TSA nonsense. We carried home several bottles in my carry on bag.
Sadly long drunk!
Excuse to return to Sydney!
Mar 16, 2008 | 7:47 am
#32
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Lafayette, CO, USA
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Back in January, I picked up a 375mL bottle of Inniskillin Vidal icewine at a duty free shop in MIA for $49.99. (At my home stores in SC, it usually runs for $60 - $70 + tax.)
Mar 16, 2008 | 1:03 pm
#33
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Posts: 125
Gents and Ladies,
Best Duty free I have ever seen was Beirut. The prices are crazy. Marlboro's around 10 USD a carton. Johnny Walker black label promotion 2x1l for 20 USD and my favorite, buy two bottles of Absolute Vodka any flavor get the third for free. I think that cost me around 20 USD as well.
Billman
Best Duty free I have ever seen was Beirut. The prices are crazy. Marlboro's around 10 USD a carton. Johnny Walker black label promotion 2x1l for 20 USD and my favorite, buy two bottles of Absolute Vodka any flavor get the third for free. I think that cost me around 20 USD as well.
Billman
Mar 16, 2008 | 3:23 pm
#34
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Billman's fantastic BEY buys have been added for JW Black and Absolut.
Billman, can you recall if BEY DF has a website? I'll include it in the list if I can find current prices.
When did you find these specials?
(re. cigarettes, Cambodia's street price was $10 a pack and even our tour guide couldn't get the price lower than this, at least in Siem Reap this January.)
Billman, can you recall if BEY DF has a website? I'll include it in the list if I can find current prices.
When did you find these specials?
(re. cigarettes, Cambodia's street price was $10 a pack and even our tour guide couldn't get the price lower than this, at least in Siem Reap this January.)
Mar 16, 2008 | 3:40 pm
#35
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SJO used to have good prices on Baileys, but it's gone up quite a bit, of late. When I last checked, last month, it was $18 for 1L. They sometimes have multiple packs, such as 2 for $30.
A few years back, I got 2x 1L at PTY for $22 total. Not that price when I checked last year, though.
A few years back, I got 2x 1L at PTY for $22 total. Not that price when I checked last year, though.
Mar 16, 2008 | 3:48 pm
#36
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If you have the name or website of the Duty Free shop, please add it here and I will also link that in.
What is the total saving - would the tax be around $5, for a saving of say $25, or 1/3 of your local price, $75 all-in?
Mar 17, 2008 | 9:38 pm
#38
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Updated! See index.
- Richey66's SGN tip
- Airports in Asia, PR, Africa
- Packing wines into checked luggage (successfully
). Wine mummy, anyone?
Mar 18, 2008 | 7:30 am
#39
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
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No real input from me, I'm sorry to say.
The Duty free shops in Spain were always more expensive than the shops outisde the airport - even in the old days when Spain wasn't part of the European Common Market. I guess this trained me from an early age to be suspicious of Duty Free shops.
When looking for British things to take to Japan or Spain there's nothing in the London airports that seem particularly interesting, let alone interestingly priced.
----
The turron in Spanish airports is always cheaper elsewhere, and the bottles of olive oil always seem a bit of a rip off (I don't even rate them more highly then some of the better olive oils available by the litre and in plastic from Spanish grocerers - more details in olive oil thread).
----
Narita is interesting as some of the duty free shops allow you to sample a range of their sake before you buy it. I'm not sure if the sake is much cheaper than that at stores outside the airport, but having the chance to try it first is wonderful. Although there are certainly places in Tokyo that also offer this opportunity (in more relaxing/amenable surroundings) they aren't the sort of places you'll just stumble onto, so Narita can be an excellent place to buy sake for those of us who aren't knowledgeable connoisseurs.
A food I've found easier to source in Narita than in Tokyo are large umeboshi (a dozen or so will cost at least 3,000yen). The thing is there is a bewildering variety of speciality foods at NRT. Even if I devoted a year (and a fortune) to trying them all, by the end of that year many of them would become unavailable and there would be a whole slew of new items to replace them. And they change constantly to reflect the seasons.
One of the few foods that is (or should be) constantly available are the cookies from 'Yoku Moku'. They are also available in some of Tokyo's department stores. Yoku Moku is quite well known, so someone manning an information desk will probably be able to help you find it. http://www.yokumoku.co.jp/ (apparantly they sell in the US, so this might be more useful for us Europeans)
Also of note are the white chocolate 'cats tongues' from Sapporo based Ishiya
http://www.shiroikoibito.ishiya.co.jp/ which can/could also be found at NRT
Chocolate blanc de langues de chat (I've also had the milk chocolate ones, which were nice - but the white chocolate ones really were special)
http://www.shiroikoibito.ishiya.co.jp/goods/index.html
- This company were a bit naughty with their labelling last year. I'm sure they're extra careful now!
Narita, the area, is famous for some of its own local specialities. The main ones are listed here: http://www.city.narita.chiba.jp/engl...delicious.html
I highly recommend the Teppozuke.
The Duty free shops in Spain were always more expensive than the shops outisde the airport - even in the old days when Spain wasn't part of the European Common Market. I guess this trained me from an early age to be suspicious of Duty Free shops.
When looking for British things to take to Japan or Spain there's nothing in the London airports that seem particularly interesting, let alone interestingly priced.
----
The turron in Spanish airports is always cheaper elsewhere, and the bottles of olive oil always seem a bit of a rip off (I don't even rate them more highly then some of the better olive oils available by the litre and in plastic from Spanish grocerers - more details in olive oil thread).
----
Narita is interesting as some of the duty free shops allow you to sample a range of their sake before you buy it. I'm not sure if the sake is much cheaper than that at stores outside the airport, but having the chance to try it first is wonderful. Although there are certainly places in Tokyo that also offer this opportunity (in more relaxing/amenable surroundings) they aren't the sort of places you'll just stumble onto, so Narita can be an excellent place to buy sake for those of us who aren't knowledgeable connoisseurs.
A food I've found easier to source in Narita than in Tokyo are large umeboshi (a dozen or so will cost at least 3,000yen). The thing is there is a bewildering variety of speciality foods at NRT. Even if I devoted a year (and a fortune) to trying them all, by the end of that year many of them would become unavailable and there would be a whole slew of new items to replace them. And they change constantly to reflect the seasons.
One of the few foods that is (or should be) constantly available are the cookies from 'Yoku Moku'. They are also available in some of Tokyo's department stores. Yoku Moku is quite well known, so someone manning an information desk will probably be able to help you find it. http://www.yokumoku.co.jp/ (apparantly they sell in the US, so this might be more useful for us Europeans)
Also of note are the white chocolate 'cats tongues' from Sapporo based Ishiya
http://www.shiroikoibito.ishiya.co.jp/ which can/could also be found at NRT
Chocolate blanc de langues de chat (I've also had the milk chocolate ones, which were nice - but the white chocolate ones really were special)
http://www.shiroikoibito.ishiya.co.jp/goods/index.html
- This company were a bit naughty with their labelling last year. I'm sure they're extra careful now!
Narita, the area, is famous for some of its own local specialities. The main ones are listed here: http://www.city.narita.chiba.jp/engl...delicious.html
I highly recommend the Teppozuke.
Last edited by LapLap; Mar 18, 2008 at 7:44 am
Mar 18, 2008 | 9:27 am
#40
Join Date: Mar 2005
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BizBB, I can't remember when the promotion was on the Absolute, but ironically it was the Johhny Walker promoter girl that told me about it.
The Johnny Walker promotion was about six months and it was at the exit duty free after immigration, before customs.
This duty free always in Beirut has some crazy deals. I highly recommend it.
The Johnny Walker promotion was about six months and it was at the exit duty free after immigration, before customs.
This duty free always in Beirut has some crazy deals. I highly recommend it.
Mar 18, 2008 | 6:34 pm
#42
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Puerto Rican rums info here, even without the sugar cane industry. I'll link the posts above to the index, but have yet to find a good reference for anyone to click on a SJU retailer.
Please add the name of your retailer in SJU, product and final USD$ price!
Here is the previously-mentioned Riise... finally some DF info for the Carribean! Riise at St Thomas:
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html
Whether Riise is up to it's promise, or as good as SJU, let's find out.
Bugger... no prices, only a list 
. Unless someone wishes to phone 1-800-524-2037.
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#whisky
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#singlemalt
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#champagne
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#port
Or if you are lucky enough to go yachting...
http://www.ahriise.com/Locations.html
Please add the name of your retailer in SJU, product and final USD$ price!
Here is the previously-mentioned Riise... finally some DF info for the Carribean! Riise at St Thomas:
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html
Whether Riise is up to it's promise, or as good as SJU, let's find out.
While you're on St. Thomas, be sure to visit A.H. Riise for all your duty-free spirits and tobacco shopping. We offer a large selection of products at substantial savings compared to U.S retail.
. Unless someone wishes to phone 1-800-524-2037.http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#whisky
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#singlemalt
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#champagne
http://www.ahriise.com/SpiritsTobacco.html#port
Or if you are lucky enough to go yachting...
http://www.ahriise.com/Locations.html
Mar 18, 2008 | 6:47 pm
#43
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Thanks, mkt.
Great buy and added to the index!
This rum gets very good reviews on a few online blogs that come up as popular in a gpogle search.
On the topic of PR rums and Carribean drinks in general: a Carribean rum primer:
Great buy and added to the index!
This rum gets very good reviews on a few online blogs that come up as popular in a gpogle search.
On the topic of PR rums and Carribean drinks in general: a Carribean rum primer:
FARE OF THE COUNTRY; FROM SUN AND SUGAR AN ISLAND BREW [NYT]
It is the only kind of spirits worth bringing back from Puerto Rico because prices there are comparable to the mainland.
Travelers returning from St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands are offered an additional incentive. The duty-free spirits allowance is six fifths instead of the usual five permitted from the the other United States Virgin Islands provided one of the bottles contains Virgin Islands rum. From the other Caribbean islands the limit is one liter. There may even be some interesting rums to buy that are not exported, such as El Dorado, one of the finest Puerto Rican aged rums.
It is the only kind of spirits worth bringing back from Puerto Rico because prices there are comparable to the mainland.
Travelers returning from St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands are offered an additional incentive. The duty-free spirits allowance is six fifths instead of the usual five permitted from the the other United States Virgin Islands provided one of the bottles contains Virgin Islands rum. From the other Caribbean islands the limit is one liter. There may even be some interesting rums to buy that are not exported, such as El Dorado, one of the finest Puerto Rican aged rums.
Mar 24, 2008 | 4:28 pm
#44
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SYD Duty Free hs a few specials which it guarantees to be better-priced that its other stores in AKL, BKK, HKG, SIN and others.
Grant's whisky 1.125L $12.50
Grant's whisky 1.125L $12.50
Mar 24, 2008 | 5:50 pm
#45
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It was a pleasure to meet Gatwick Alan on Good Friday.
Alan kindly reported Johnny Walker Blue at SIN:
$167 750ml
$222 1L
These have been added to the Page 1 indexes - the airport index and also the JW Blue index.
(Alan had some excellent stories and is a seasoned traveller; his Birthday RTW via Melbourne trip report is here.
It is Alan's birthday today; Have a great flight and a happy birthday, Alan!)
Alan kindly reported Johnny Walker Blue at SIN:
$167 750ml
$222 1L
These have been added to the Page 1 indexes - the airport index and also the JW Blue index.
(Alan had some excellent stories and is a seasoned traveller; his Birthday RTW via Melbourne trip report is here.
It is Alan's birthday today; Have a great flight and a happy birthday, Alan!)