Bringing back bottles

I once brought back a big bottle of chimey from belguim. Chimey has lots of carbonation and it was fine under the plane. I think you are only aloud to bring back two litters of booze from overseas though, better double check that one.

good luck, happy drinking

Unless all the hype over dangerous liquids subsides by the time you fly, the only way to bring bottles on board is by purchasing them at the duty-free shop in the area beyond the security checkpoint.

You'll choose and pay, show them your boarding pass so they know what flight to deliver to, they'll give you a voucher stub, and the purchase will be waiting for you as you board the plane.

Remember, 1 Liter per person is the limit.

Buy something nice, like a single-malt you can't find in the states.

A bottle of Guinness would survive the flight, but you can buy that here.

I brought back alcohol from Mexico last year. We packed them properly in the suitcase among our beach towels. But you won't be having a beach towel so maybe take along some of the popcorn packing material.

Thanks for the feedback.

I've been doing some research and found that you can bring back as much as you want but only 1 liter is exempt from duty. I'm still a little confused about this because except for the occasional mention of the 1 liter all the duty exemptions/requirements are stated in terms of if they are under or over a certain $ amount. So I can't figure out if it's 1 liter only that's exempt or 1 liter if the total value goes over the amount that you don't have to pay duty on. Also, are the laws different for wine? I brought back about five bottles (well over 1 liter) and didn't pay any duty on it.

I know you can get Guinness here, but I have a friend who insists that the stuff they sell in the bottles there is completely different... so I have to bring back a bottle or two and prove a point =)

They will have to be checked and carefully packed.

There is a limit on how much you can bring back duty free. You can check out www.cbp.gov look for q&a, you should be able to find the exact limits. If you exceed the limit, you have to pay a duty (I have no idea how much because I never carry home liquids in my carry on).

Forget bringing home Guiness. IMHO the only way to drink Guiness is straight from the keg in Ireland. Guiness is like drinking a cream soda when it's fresh but it doesn't travel well and doesn't package well. The quality noticably suffers even when you order it in England. I just went out for St. Pat's day and noticed Guiness on the East Coast is better than the West Coast but not nearly as good as in Ireland. Enjoy it on your trip, but it will have to live in your memory until your next visit to Ireland.

It's probably best to bring back an Irish Whiskey and a Scotch Whisky.

It's the total dollar value and the liquid measure of liquor. If you bring back more than one liter, you'll get charged even if the total amount is below the limit. If your liquor is valued more than the dollar limit even if it's under one liter, you'll get charged duty (I suppose that's possible depending on what you bring back).

It is one liter per adult in your party. Two adults can bring two-liters. They can both be packed in the same bag under a family declaration.

There is an 800 customer service number you can call for your question, 877-227-5511, they can give you the best answer.

Listen to Brad.

They have Budweiser, made in Ireland under license, and some say it's better that the U.S. stuff.

But there's nothing like a well-poured stout from a finely tuned, nitrogen draw keg.

If you're going to consider schlepping more than just a carefully selected bottle each, consider having them professionally shipped.
No one buying Waterford Crystal takes it home in their luggage.

Besides, I'm still under the impression that, depending on who's doing the screening of the checked luggage, if some "dangerous liquid" was spied in your bags it could cause a bit of hassle and needless delay. Probably just as you're boarding. I think Eli just got lucky.

Ayla, careful packing in your luggage is a perfectly acceptable way to bring back bottles of anything. Regarding duty charges, I think it would be 3% or so of the value of the goods. Obviously this is not much of a consideration. You might want to research this topic in this forum, it's been the subject of many threads. I've always declared the alcohol I bring back, and I usually stash two cases of wine in my luggage. The Customs officials have never charged duty. In fact, they've never shown interest whatsoever in the wine I bring back. So your decision rests mainly with how comfortable you feel in your ability to pack your items without them breaking. Duty really shouldn't figure in.

My husband bought an expensive bottle of Cognac last year Paris to bring home. Unfortunately we did not have a direct flight home, and some nice luggage employee (probably TSA) broke the lock on our luggage and stole it. Even though we both had TSA locks, they also broke the lock on my luggage, but did not remove anything.
This year we have direct flights, and will only be checking a small suitcase with some things we need but can't carry on board. The cognac this year will come from duty-free and be hand-carried onto our direct flight home. Take that TSA!

Ayla,
I won't try to explain how Duty Free works b/c I'm only familliar with Cdn regulations which could be very different from yours in the US.

I will make one suggestion, though, about transporting your bottles safely home...

You might take a look in your local dollar store for a couple lightweight plastic containers with lids. If you look you can find ones that will nicely fit a 1.5 litre bottle of wine. That will provide better protection for the bottles tham bubble wrap alone. (Take some of that too for inside or wrap it in something you don't care if it accidently gets stained.)

Just remember to clearly mark your bag as fragile. I also do that just because, even if it's not fragile.

As for the question about pressure changes during take off and landing...I'm glad you're a thinker! Thanks for thinking about Flight Safety. But no worries, we have carbonated beverages on board every flight. No problems to report.

With any alcohol, you are allowed to bring back one liter duty free. Anything past that will be charged a 3% duty (keep your receipt.) However, don't go too crazy because some States have strict laws about bringing in alcohol and Customs will enforce those laws.

As for those who got in more than one liter of wine, you were lucky. Wine is included under the one liter limit.

Here's a webpage that will explain everything:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/paying_duty.xml

Thanks for the info everyone! It's been quite helpful.

I'm certainly not planning on bringing back a lot of anything; I was thinking more along the lines a couple bottles of whisky from one or two of the distilleries that I plan to visit, especially if it's a small one whose product is not available elswhere.

The note about the congac though brings up another point I've been a little nervous about, especially since it seems like nowadays locks tend to get your luggage searched more often than not. Does anyone know of a way to help ensure that items don't go missing from luggage?

In regards to the comments about buying it at the duty-free shops past the security check points: This only works if you have NO layovers in the US. I did this and was promptly told that was a European rule and did not apply in the US. So I had to quickly repack in the middle of passports and customs.

Also in regards to the fees - I was worried about this too, but no one cared. So I didn't end up paying anything on 3 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of alcohol.