Our pleasure! It's the kind of thing we like to know about for ourselves, too, so you inspired us to send one of our intrepid researchers out into the field for some serious scouting. The methodology was simple enough: We chose a few popular brands and compared like with like, wherever possible. Below are Lori's findings, with cheapest prices listed in bold.
| Bud | Corona | Absolut | Jack Daniel's | Bacardi | Moët | |
| Store | 20-pack (bottle) | 12-pack (bottle) | 750 ml | 750 ml | 750 ml | White Star |
| Albertson's (Flamingo/Rainbow) | $18.99 | $16.99 | $23.99 | $21.99 | $14.99 | $43.99 |
| H&H Discount Liquors (N. Decatur/W. Lake Mead) | $14.99 | $13.99 | $18.99 | $14.99 | $10.99 | $23.99 |
| Lee's Discount Liquor (multiple) | $13.99 | $12.99 | $17.99 | $17.99 | $12.99 | $33.99 |
| The Liquor Outlet (5600 W. Spring Mtn.) | $17.99 | $12.99 | $21.99 | $17.99 | $13.99 | n/a |
| Orleans | $5.99 (6-pack only) | $5.99 (6-pack only) | $19.99 | $17.99 | $11.99 | $33.99 |
| Smith's (Flamingo/Jones) | $16.99 | $13.99 | $23.99 | $21.99 | $14.99 | n/a |
We've long known about Lee's Discount Liquor and how it generally lives up to its name. Not only are their prices highly competitive, but they stock an extensive range and are a good bet if you're looking for an obscure liqueur or a rarefied import beer. They have several locations in Las Vegas, including one at 9110 S. Las Vegas Blvd. The other two locations closest to the Strip would be 3480 E. Flamingo Rd. and 1780 S. Rainbow Blvd.
The liquor store at the Orleans is a proper store, not just your typical casino gift shop, and as far as casinos go, this is almost certainly your cheapest bet, especially if you have a players card -- Club Coast members receive a discount on all merchandise, plus you can choose to redeem your points there for "free" booze. (Note: The prices quoted above are without any discount.) Their bottled beer is in six-packs only and the selection of beer in cans in anything bigger than a six-pack is pretty limited. It was interesting to note that Bud and Corona were the same price -- that's the cheapest we saw Corona anywhere.
If you're prepared to venture a little farther afield -- the corner of N. Decatur and Lake Mead, to be precise -- we can recommend H&H Discount Liquors. Not only is the owner a hoot, but he informed Lori that she was wasting her time researching this, because he'll beat anybody’s prices, which he pretty much did on the hard liquor. Also, no one else came close to his price on Moët and the beer prices were within a dollar. He also said he’d haggle by as much as $1 per bottle if purchased by the case, so it's definitely worth trying to negotiate on a bulk buy. He was the first port-of-call on this mission, and said if we came back with the competitors’ prices, he’d beat them. It's the only place we came across that offered a quantity discount.
