An award-winning wine and beer shop has just announced that it has taken over the site of Laurence Smith & Son at Pleasance after the great-grandson of the founder decided to retire.
The exciting new Great Grog Shop at 61 Pleasance will mirror the original bottle shop on Dalkeith Road, offering the very best in wine, beer and spirits.
Posting about the new opening, the Great Grog team wrote: "This shop was formerly Laurence Smith & Son, Established in 1883. We hope to fill their shoes as Duncan Smith, the great-grandson of the founder has retired.
"We hope to continue with their great work of bringing interesting wines, whiskies, beers and spirits to the good folk of Edinburgh and beyond."
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The shop will open 11 am until 8 pm Monday to Saturday and 1 pm until 6 pm on Sundays, with experienced manager John Blair ably assisted by assistant manager Tommy Gorham.
Speaking about his excitement over the new opening, Tommy said: "We've been working on the shop since early April doing most of the renovation ourselves so we're excited to finally have customers coming in the door with the added bonus of seeing our hard work bear fruit as we reckon our DIY (including using old scaffolding planks as shelving) has given the place a lot of character."
Located about 30 yards from the Pleasance festival venue, Tommy added that they hope to continue the good work carried out by the previous occupiers, he said: "Historic Edinburgh wine merchant 'Laurence Smith & Son' had served Edinburgh since 1883, and there is even machinery from when they used to bottle their own sherry left in the vast cellar.
"We're delighted to continue this legacy of sourcing the very best the drinks world has to offer. For instance, Edinburgh's canned 'Whitebox Cocktails' are the latest craze, but there will always be a place for the old classics."
With the firm also having vast experience of serving the residents of Edinburgh – Great Grog first launched in the capital in 1999 – Tommy is keen to highlight what they'll be offering.
He said: "Over the past 24 years, has developed a large and broad selection of wine and beer (around 500 different wines and all the best craft beer Edinburgh and Scotland has to offer along with a great range of the best German and Belgian beers), as well as some great spirits, liqueurs, malts and cider.
"People can also expect great customer service as John has decades of experience in the trade. It can be a bit overwhelming looking at a wall of drinks, and we feel we can offer personable service to everyone, from discerning wine/craft beer lovers to people who need a little more guidance starting out in the wine/craft beer world or those just looking for a well priced easy drinker.
"We will also run small free tastings running every Friday and Saturday so you can get to know what we offer and hopefully find some great stuff you would have never tried otherwise."
