Barrel Shoppe Agave Spirit Club

What's in the box: Each quarterly shipment contains one bottle of a hand selected tequila, mezcal or other agave spirit chosen by Barrel Shoppe.

Barrel Shoppe is a spirits store in Lafayette, California, and its Agave Spirit Club is a simple, focused offering: one bottle per quarter, picked by the shop from tequila, mezcal and other agave spirits. Membership costs $100 per shipment plus shipping, with nothing charged at sign up, and the club is capped at 150 members. Scheduled release dates are January 15, April 15, July 9 and October 15, though the shop warns timing can slip by up to a month depending on what picks are available. The shop promises every bottle will be unique and never repeated, and that the retail value of each shipment will exceed the membership cost. That is a reasonable promise, but you are trusting the shop's own retail pricing. Local members can pick up in store, which saves on shipping. Despite the tequila and rum category, the club is described purely as agave spirits, so do not expect rum. The site lists FAQs on skipping and cancelling but the answers are not spelled out up front, so check the cancellation policy before joining. One bottle a quarter is a modest pace, and you get no say in the selection, which suits explorers more than people with firm preferences.