Start with the box, not the brand name
The first thing to check is how much actually arrives and how often, because a cheap entry price means little if the box is small or the schedule is wrong for your drinking habits. Craft Beer Club ships 12 bottles monthly, which suits someone who wants a steady monthly supply of mixed brewery output rather than a fixed rotation. The Wine Society works differently: boxes of 6 to 12 bottles every two months suit a household that drinks in smaller amounts but less often.
The guarantee attached to a box matters just as much as the size. The Wine Society offers a bottle guarantee, so a bottle that arrives damaged or wrong is replaced. Craft Beer Club has no bottle guarantee, so a breakage is on you. Read the terms on both the Craft Beer Club review and the The Wine Society review before you commit to a schedule.
Price per bottle is the number that decides it
Entry prices are marketing anchors. The number that tells you whether a club is worth keeping is the price per bottle, since that is what you actually consume. Craft Beer Club lists a per bottle price of $4 for its club box. The Wine Society lists per bottle prices of £9.17 to £14.83, and those figures shift with the plan you pick and the wines inside it.
Put your figure next to the wider spread. Across the drinks clubs tracked for this comparison, per bottle prices run €0.96 to €70.15. A club that looks expensive on its headline can sit comfortably inside that band, and one that undercuts the headline can still land near the top of it. Compare the per bottle number, not the sign-up price, and check which currency you are being quoted in.
Entry price, shipping and what you get for the money
Entry prices sit far apart. Total Wine lists prices of $9.99 because it is a shop rather than a subscription, so that figure buys a single bottle rather than a membership. Bourbon Concierge lists prices of $5 for one-off spirits purchases. Craft Beer Club lists a store price of $4.95, which is separate from its club subscription.
Shipping is where club economics shift. The Wine Society lists a free delivery threshold of £0, so delivery costs you nothing on a standard order. For one-off shops and spirits retailers, delivery is charged separately and can outweigh the saving on a small basket. Entry prices across the whole group run €2.14 to €43.84, which is the full span from the cheapest to the dearest starting point in our data. Treat a low entry price as the start of a calculation, not the answer.
Shop, club or personalised box
Decide what kind of buying you want first, because these brands behave differently. Total Wine covers wine shop, spirits and cocktails, which makes it a general shop for bottles, spirits, cocktail ingredients and alcohol-free options, with no ongoing commitment. Bourbon Concierge covers spirits only, and offers personalization, so it suits a buyer who knows exactly which bottle they want rather than one browsing a catalogue.
Craft Beer Club is the opposite again: beer club is its only category, and a subscription is part of the model. Its sourcing is local, so the appeal is regional breweries close to you rather than a nationwide range. Bourbon Concierge offers next day delivery where Craft Beer Club does not, so speed of arrival is another axis to weigh. The Bourbon Concierge review covers the personalised side, and the Total Wine review covers the shop model.
Check the market before you check the price
Coverage narrows the field faster than price does. The Wine Society serves GB, JE and GG and is headquartered in GB, so it is the option for a buyer in those markets. Total Wine serves US and is headquartered in US. Bourbon Concierge serves US and Craft Beer Club serves US, so a reader outside that market should look elsewhere.
Pounds and dollars appear across these brands, and prices are not interchangeable. Age-restricted delivery rules also apply market by market, so confirm that your address is served before you spend time on price per bottle comparisons.
How long the brand has traded and who to call
Longevity is a weak signal but a free one. The Wine Society was founded in 1874 and trades as International Exhibition Co-Operative Wine Society Limited. Total Wine was founded in 1991 and trades as Retail Services & Systems, Inc. Craft Beer Club trades as The Original Craft Beer Club.
Support reach tells you what happens when a box goes wrong. The Wine Society offers phone, email and help centre. Total Wine offers email, phone and chat, including live chat, which suits quick one-off questions. Bourbon Concierge offers email, phone and help centre and a return window of 0 days, while Craft Beer Club offers email, phone and help centre. If you cannot get hold of anyone when a case goes wrong, that belongs in your decision.
Put the numbers side by side
Write the per bottle price, box size, delivery frequency and market on one line per brand, then read the full reviews in the beer, spirits and cocktail clubs rankings. The short version of the comparison: The Wine Society fits a less frequent schedule with a bottle guarantee, Craft Beer Club fits a monthly beer habit with no guarantee, Total Wine fits one-off shopping, and Bourbon Concierge fits a specific spirits list with fast delivery and no returns.
Pick on the two numbers you cannot negotiate, which are box size and delivery frequency. Everything else, entry price, support channel, even the guarantee, is easier to live with once the schedule matches how you actually drink.