Whether you've decided to dabble in cocktail-making during lockdown or you've run out of booze in the middle of a party, fast alcohol delivery services such as Jimmy Brings can deliver drinks to your doorstep in a matter of minutes.
We've compared the key features and costs of six delivery services that operate in multiple cities across Australia.
On this page:
- What are fast alcohol delivery services?
- How do they work?
- Fast alcohol delivery services compared
- Cost comparison
- Risks of fast alcohol delivery services
What are fast alcohol delivery services?
While most wine clubs deliver monthly and standard deliveries from bottle shops usually take around two to four days, fast alcohol delivery services promise to deliver in as little as 30 minutes, meaning you can order drinks on demand just as easily as a pizza delivery.
They mainly operate in metropolitan areas, with fast delivery generally not available in rural or regional areas.
How do they work?
While each delivery service has a slightly different ordering process, the general features are the same:
- select postcode/address (this will determine product availability, delivery time etc)
- add items to cart
- create or login to your account (you'll usually need to provide your phone number, DOB, address and full name)
- nominate who will be receiving the order (you can nominate yourself or another adult who will be asked for ID by the delivery driver)
- complete payment using your credit card or PayPal account
- track your delivery on the app (if they have one)
- meet the delivery driver at the door and show your ID to receive your order.
Fast alcohol delivery services compared
We compared six major services offering fast alcohol delivery across more than one state.
There are also plenty of services offering fast, or same-day delivery that operate only in one city, such as Knock Knock Booze There (Brisbane) or Quick Bottle (Sydney), but we haven't included them in this comparison.
Booze Bud Same Day delivery
Areas covered
Sydney and Melbourne metropolitan areas.
Time to deliver
Orders placed before 9am can be delivered 1pm–6pm or 5pm–10pm. Orders placed before 2pm can be delivered 5–10pm.
App
Yes but it doesn't offer live tracking.
What can you order?
Wine, spirits, cider, beer, seltzer, premix. Not tobacco products or snacks. Non-alcoholic drinks are also available.
Delivery fee
$9.90
Limitations
Available Monday–Saturday only
Can you send as a gift?
Yes, option to add a gift note.
BWS ASAP Delivery
Areas covered
NSW, Vic, Qld, SA, ACT, WA, Tas but availability varies by postcode and is generally only available in metropolitan areas.
Time to deliver
Within one hour or your next delivery is free.
App
Yes. They also offer live tracking.
What can you order?
Wine, spirits, cider, beer, seltzer and premix drinks. Not tobacco products. Just like at the bricks and mortar stores you can also buy snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
Delivery fee
$10 flat fee.
Limitations
Minimum order of $20–30 depending on your location.
Can you send as a gift?
No, but you can buy gift bags or gift cards.
Dan Murphy's Delivery Now
Areas covered
NSW, ACT, Qld, VIC, WA, SA, Tas in selected metro areas only.
Time to deliver
Under two hours.
App
Yes. You can also track your delivery.
What can you order?
Wine, spirits, cider, beer, seltzer and premix drinks. Not tobacco products. Just like at the bricks and mortar stores you can also buy snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
Delivery fee
$15 flat fee.
Limitations
None.
Can you send as a gift?
Yes, you can also buy gift hampers and have your order gift-wrapped for free.
Jimmy Brings
Areas covered
Select postcodes in Sydney (including the Shire and Parramatta), Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Perth.
Time to deliver
Usually within 30 minutes.
App
Yes, with live tracking.
What can you order?
Wine, spirits, cider, beer, seltzer, premix drinks and even tobacco products. The store also sells wine bundles, non-alcoholic drinks and snacks like chips and jerky.
Delivery fee
$4.95–6.50 depending on location.
Limitations
Minimum spend $20.
Can you send as a gift?
You can send to someone, but there's no option for gift-wrapping or adding a message.
Liquoroo
Areas covered
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, selected suburbs
Time to deliver
Average of 30 minutes.
App
Yes, it's an app-based service with real-time tracking.
What can you order?
Wine, spirits, cider, beer, seltzer and premix drinks. Not tobacco. Also sells non-alcoholic drinks, snacks and extras like playing cards, condoms and even painkillers.
Delivery fee
Starts from $5 depending on distance from store. A service fee also applies.For example, our mystery shop for an order in Sydney cost $7.51 for delivery and $3 for service fee.
Limitations
$20 minimum order. Fairly limited product selection, especially for wine and premix drinks.
Can you send as a gift?
You can send to someone, but there's no option for gift-wrapping or adding a message.
Tipple
Areas covered
Select suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne.
Time to deliver
Can take up to 58 minutes, or you can schedule a date and time window.
App
Yes, it's an app-based service plus tracking.
What can you order?
Wine, spirits, cider, beer, seltzer, premix drinks. Not tobacco. Also sells non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.
Delivery fee
$7.95 flat rate.
Limitations
Minimum order is $15. You may proceed with an order below that amount but you will be charged the difference in a "small order fee" for example the small order fee for a $5 order will be $10.
Can you send as a gift?
Yes, you can add a gift note.
Food delivery services
As well as dedicated alcohol delivery services like Jimmy Brings, and bottle shops with fast delivery options like BWS and Dan Murphy's, takeaway food delivery services like Menulog, UberEats and Deliveroo have also jumped on the fast alcohol delivery bandwagon.
These services have added an "alcohol" or "liquor" section to their menus, allowing local alcohol retailers to offer fast delivery services through their platform.
If you already order food through these services, ordering alcohol will be a familiar process. As with other fast alcohol delivery services, delivery is mainly limited to more metropolitan areas.
Cost comparison
We compared the cost of buying a selection of identical alcohol products, plus delivery from all six retailers to see which services give you the best bang for your buck (see cost comparison breakdown, below).
Despite having the highest delivery cost, Dan Murphy's was still the cheapest option overall.
We also found that prices for individual alcohol products varied significantly from one retailer to the next. For example, Absolut Vodka cost over $10 more at Liquoroo than at Booze Bud, Dan Murphys or BWS, but Liquoroo also had the lowest price on the Heineken six-pack.
So it's worth shopping around to find the cheapest price on the items you're buying.
Risks of fast alcohol delivery services
A recent study from The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) at La Trobe University found evidence that these services enable people to keep drinking when they otherwise would have had to stop (because they'd run out of alcohol).
Their study also found that on-demand alcohol delivery services were most popular amongst young people (aged 18–29) and seemed to be favoured by heavier drinkers. A recent survey by VicHealth also found that people who use on-demand services are more likely to report very risky drinking and to experience harm (memory loss or injury) from their drinking.
People who use on-demand services are more likely to report very risky drinking and to experience harm (memory loss or injury) from their drinking
Worryingly, over a third of respondents in the FARE study who were aged under 25 reported either receiving delivery of alcohol without having their IDs checked or having alcohol delivered while they weren't present.
NSW law update
NSW Liquor & Gaming introduced a number of new laws surrounding same-day alcohol delivery services which came into effect on 1 July 2021.
One of the main changes is that written instructions must be provided by the licensee to the delivery person detailing the adult who has been nominated to receive the delivery.
This means the delivery person can only deliver the alcohol to the adult nominated during the purchasing process and that adult must show their ID to verify their age and identity. They also can't deliver to someone who is intoxicated.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
