I will reply with neither but an example to check Auckland prices before you buy at the Nadi airport, just in case you buy something and find out it's cheaper here.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited Sydney and checked the prices in Wellington for some whisky. The prices in Sydney were about AU$20 cheaper.

I was even more pleased when I got to the Sydney airport and they had a AU$ 20 off each bottle of the liquor I was after.

Great savings.

Up until a few years ago grog was noticeably cheaper at AKL than in your local liquor store. Now, it’s not. Standard 1litre spirits are barely a few dollars cheaper than at Liquorland et al. Pretty sure there’s an oligopoly going on in duty free - aided and abetted by the rapacious retail practices of airport companies.

freitasm: Are you comparing per cl prices? Duty free is usually 1l, while liquor stores sell 750ml.

IME liquor stores sell 750 and 1litre in pretty much equal volumes (pardon the pun). I always buy 1litre locally.

If you look a the two for and three for deals you can find some good discounts. Also the bundles are sometimes different on "The Mall" vs https://www.aeliadutyfree.co.nz/. 

Some brands don't like having all their products on the website, so know what the store will have is a problem.  I tend to find Nadi and Raro are cheaper. Sydney is pretty similar but better range and the US can vary dramatically

eracode:

 

freitasm: Are you comparing per cl prices? Duty free is usually 1l, while liquor stores sell 750ml.

 

IME liquor stores sell 750 and 1litre in pretty much equal volumes (pardon the pun). I always buy 1litre locally.

 

I just checked the Liquorland website. Their ‘standard’ gins (for example Seagars, Gilbeys, Tanqueray etc) are 1litre - with no 750 option. More expensive/special gin brands are 700ml.

eracode:

 

Up until a few years ago grog was noticeably cheaper at AKL than in your local liquor store. Now, it’s not. Standard 1litre spirits are barely a few dollars cheaper than at Liquorland et al. Pretty sure there’s an oligopoly going on in duty free - aided and abetted by the rapacious retail practices of airport companies.

 

Agreed - picked up 1l of Cointreau at Wellington Airport for NZD$75 (was AUD$70 in Melbourne, so about the same). Saw later I could buy 1L in NZ from a number of outlets for $69.95.

Definitely worth checking NZ retail prices before using duty free - even when other duty free items started getting more expensive than standard retail, alcohol still used to have worthwhile discounts, but that's often not the case any more.

2 for $79 on Tanqueray is good.

It's $56 for one at Whiskyandmore, who I always find to be pretty well priced.

I think Duty free is good for the 'next step up' spirits, ie., not the Gordons or Grants etc, but the Tanqueray/Bombay and Johnny Walkers. Even more so for the next ones up after them.