By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Marlborough—With five stores in the Metrowest area, Sperry’s Liquors can handle holiday needs from advice on wines for Thanksgiving to delivery of holiday party supplies to great gifts.
“Our prices are among the lowest in the area, and we see ourselves as a community retailer, sponsoring local teams and events,” said Tony Speranzella, who now owns the company his father started 35 years ago.
“We’ve seen a lot of competition come in from the big box stores and have expanded the lines we carry to meet them. We’re a family business, and we want to be your local, neighborhood store.”
Sperry’s has two stores in Marlborough, at 17 East Main St. and 531 Lincoln St., one in Hudson at 10 Technology Dr., one in Southborough at 205 Turnpike Rd. (Rt. 9), and the newest location in Wayland in the Wayland Town Center on Route 20. Currently, the Wayland store carries only beer, wines and cigars; a license for spirits is pending. The Southborough store offers an assortment of convenience grocery items. The stores include a walk-in humidor for cigars.
“We are looking to expand in 2016,” Speranzella said, since the state has increased the number of liquor licenses a firm can have from five to seven.
For customers looking for wine that goes well with turkey and all the trimmings at Thanksgiving, Speranzella suggested a pinot noir, particularly Domaine Serene from Oregon, or Dreaming Tree or William Hill, both from California. If a customer prefers a white wine, he recommended dry whites, such as Washington Hills riesling from Washington, or Boeckel gewürztraminer from France.
The Sperry’s staff can provide advice on how much wine, beer or spirits folks will need for a holiday party, and the stores will deliver orders over $100.
Need gift ideas? Speranzella suggested a number of items for hard-to-shop-for people on your list, and the stores sell gift bags.
For your father-in-law, premium Scotches or bourbons are very popular now. He suggested a Macallan Scotch—the stores carry bottles aged from 10 to 18 years. Bourbon drinkers will enjoy Buffalo Trace or Angel’s Envy, he said, and Tito’s Vodka from Texas is another interesting gift choice. Inspired by Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, cinnamon-spiced whiskies and liqueurs are trendy, especially with younger people.
The women on your list might enjoy a bottle of French champagne, such as Tattinger or G. H. Mumm.
Craft beers are extremely popular now, and the Sperry’s stores offer a huge variety, including a wide selection of locally-brewed craft beers and seasonal beers.
For the beer drinkers on your gift list, you could put together an assortment of larger bottles of craft beers, starting with ones from Maine Beer Co. in Freeport, Speranzella noted.
“Local craft beers are very good, and the pricing is now just a dollar or two above a six-pack of Budweiser or Coors for a six-pack of handcrafted beer.” Trends in the craft brew business include sour beers and seasonal flavors, which he warns sell out quickly.
Christmas beers and winter lagers are showing up on Sperry’s shelves now.
Hours for each individual store, directions, and contact information is available on the company’s website, www.sperrysliquors.com.