Behind the counter at the Bowen Hills store is Chris Brown, a chef by trade with a WSET Level 2 qualification, who runs Friday afternoon tastings that have become a fixture for locals and newcomers alike. His approach reflects the wider ethos of Black Sheep: family-owned and proudly independent, with a bench of staff across its stores who have spent years, sometimes decades, in hospitality and retail liquor. The range leans into what makes a bottle shop worth lingering in — a deep run of Australian and New Zealand wine alongside old-world bottles from France, Spain and Italy, a craft beer fridge said to be among the largest in Brisbane, and a spirits selection built around gins, whiskies, bourbons and vodkas from smaller producers rather than the usual suspects. It's the kind of place where the person serving you might have a QHA award for retail service, or eight years spent quietly steering customers toward new breweries and winemakers, as at the Everton Hills store. There's a house blog nudging drinkers toward Pinot Noir or explaining cork versus screwcap, but the real education happens at the counter, glass in hand, on a Friday afternoon.