Alabama has one of the best liquor stores in the country, according to Tasting Table.

The food and beverage publication created a list of the “17 Best Liquor Stores in the U.S.”

On that list is Birmingham’s LeNell’s Beverage Boutique, the renowned wine and spirits shop helmed by LeNell Camacho Santa Ana. A Fort Payne native, Camacho Santa Ana opened the shop in 2018. Located in Birmingham’s Norwood neighborhood, the spirits boutique is a Southern reincarnation of the celebrated store she ran in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood.

To craft the rundown, writer Sophie Nau ruminated on her days working at a Wine Shop in New Orleans. She remembered observing the care the owner used when selecting wine and local spirits and how customers appreciated his expertise.

While crafting the list was a tall order, Nau says she rounded up stores that locals raved about for both their customer service and knowledge. She also looked for stores bartenders frequented, some of which were opened by former bartenders. Instead of looking at chain spirits stores and big box retailers, Nau focused on independent liquor shops to showcase the best in local experts.

In her review of LeNell’s, Nau delves into the brief history of the shop before highlighting the boutique’s curated selection of spirits:

“Going from Brooklyn to Birmingham might be a big change, but perhaps that’s what LeNell needed to live out the shop’s saying: “Better drinkin’ for better livin’.” Owner and Alabama native LeNell Camacho Santa Ana first opened LeNell’s in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, when the area was still considered off the beaten path. She curated specialty items and even bottled her own whiskey for two years.

After a spell in Baja, California, she returned to the South, ready to embrace the South, Birmingham, and the new energy pouring into it. Industry professionals note her impeccable taste and appreciate the verve she brings to the new LeNell’s in Birmingham. The shop stocks small-batch whiskeys and biodynamic wines, and LeNell is passionate about being at the shop and serving the community that comes to buy a bottle and swap a story.”

Read Tasting Table’s full list of “17 Best Liquor Stores In The U.S.”

LeNell Camacho Santa Ana is a bartending luminary and a longtime educator in the spirits world. While in New York, LeNell sourced and bottled her own rye, called Red Hook Rye. The spirit is now a collector’s item valued at over $100,000.

Rave reviews of LeNell’s have poured in since Camacho Santa Ana opened her shop six years ago. The store garnered national attention in 2018 with profiles in Imbibe and Garden & Gun.

Read more: Six things to know about the owner of LeNell’s Beverage Boutique in Norwood

In 2022, Wine Enthusiast listed the bottle shop on its rundown of the “Best Spirits Shops in America,” based on recommendations from a panel of bartenders, writers, and other spirits luminaries.