Duty Free Border Downtown | Whisky - Whiskey - Scotch

Duty Free Products

Whisky - Whiskey - Scotch

Whisky (or Whiskey) is one of the best sellers in the global duty free market as it is usually the best bargain, especially when the local alcohol tax and duty is so high in certain countries.

For a Brazilian travelling abroad, the saving on a brand like Johnnie Walker Black label can be anything up to 40% compared to the local market. Similar savings can be achieved in many countries and even in Scotland, the home of Scotch Whisky, prices on board flights or in the airport can be up to 20% cheaper than at home.

There are many speciality websites who deal extensively with the product and we will not attempt to give you the history here, rather some tips and advice in relation to your prospective purchase.

The best whisky bargains are the premium brands and types, such as Aged Malts, because the tax saving is greater. Likewise, larger sizes often give a better saving too. In our experience, cross border stores often retail at slightly cheaper prices as do airlines, if comparing to airport stores, but the selection can be better in airports. Dubai Duty Free seem to have some of the best prices in the world for whiskies.

On cruises, the sale can be restricted to only when you leave the cruise, but ferry boats do not normally impose similar restrictions. Often, special tax-free territories have very good prices too as they need to be competitive to keep their tourist dollars rolling in. Places such as border towns, or the principalities and territories in places like Macau, Paraguay, Andorra, Gibraltar and The Canary Islands, keep their prices below the conventional duty-free stores.

It is worth considering these factors if your journey covers different modes of transport as it may be much more advantageous to buy in one location, rather than another.

This leads on to the confusing subject of 'liquids in transit' when you fly and the often confusing security rules related to the carrying of liquids though an airport. The simple rule of thumb here, although it is very difficult to generalise, is that if you have a direct point-to point flight, with no connection, there is no problem. Duty Free liquids only become a problem when you are changing flights and passing security again.

Another tip worth noting and often confused by travellers, is that Customs rules are not directly linked to security rules. The issues are separate and just because you are allowed to buy multiple bottles or allowed to take these goods into a country, it doesn't always mean that security will permit these quantities, or indeed that the airline will allow you to carry such quantities on board. Of course, if you travel by ship or land, this problem is immediately resolved.

Our suggestion for the best travel shopping advice, is to search by your destination or travel mode first and not by the product or brand name. Our global duty-free shopping search can be found above. Just enter your destination or the name of your carrier and hit 'go'.