Barrel To Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

When you think celebration, think Champagne! But it works well on any Tuesday night as well. The Barrel to Bottle team tastes through six sparklers from around the world, including Aubry Le Nombre d’Or, Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne, Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, Segura Viudas Heredad Brut Reserva,  and a pairing of Fossetta Prosecco and Bollinger Special Cuvee. Plus, stick around for the Q&A segment, when the team offers their favorite Friendsgiving wines.

All stouts are porters, but not all porters are stouts. As the weather cools off, it’s time for Roger to lead the Barrel to Bottle crew through a tasting of darker beers. Featured beers include Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald, Guinness Draught, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, North Coast Old Rasputin, Stone Xocoveza and Central Waters Cassian Sunset. And stick around for the Q&A segment when the team tackles your question about grain whisky and Scotch for a $20 Binny’s Gift Card.

Greek wine has experienced a resurgence in the last few decades, thanks in no small part to Ted Diamantis and his company, Diamond Importers. Ted joins the Barrel to Bottle crew to taste highlights from his collection and to discuss this historic and vibrant wine growing country. Wines tasted include Santo Assyrtiko, Douloufakis Dafnios Vidiano, Skouras Saint George and Alpha Estate Xinomavro.

Brace yourselves, Game of Thrones Scotch is coming. In the middle of recording the recent two-part “All the Islay” podcast, the Whiskey Hotline’s Brett Pontoni wandered off. And when he wandered back into the room, he had news about the upcoming Game of Thrones single malt releases. Listen as the Barrel to Bottle crew reacts to the news and shares specifics about each bottling. Game of Thrones Scotches are coming, and you won’t have to pay the iron price.

Picking up from last week, the Barrel to Bottle crew is joined by the Whiskey Hotline to taste through all eight active distilleries in Scotland’s Islay region. Part II covers the more peaty distilleries: Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Also silly hats. And stick around for our customer Q&A segment, when the Whiskey Hotline discuss what it takes for a distillery to get into the Binny’s Handpicked Casks program.

Scotland’s Islay makes some of the most distinctive and immediately recognizable whiskey in the world, from graceful and honeyed to richly peated, smoky and briny. The Barrel to Bottle crew teams up with the Whiskey Hotline in a guided tasting of all eight active distilleries on the Island, with lots of fun facts and Islay info along the way. Part I covers the less peaty distilleries: Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Bowmore and Kilchoman. Keep an eye out for Part II coming next week!

Black Friday in Chicago means heading to Binny’s Lincoln Park for the annual release of one of the most collectible and desirable beers out there: Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout. This year’s release includes eight unique versions: Original, Wheatwine, Reserve, Midnight Orange, Coffee Barleywine, Proprietor’s, Vanilla and Bramble Rye. The Binny’s crew got a sneak preview of the full lineup, and they run through their tasting notes, insider info and more in this week’s Barrel to Bottle breaking news episode. […]

Brunello – it’s one of the most iconic wines from Italy. On this admittedly geeky episode of Barrel to Bottle, Kristen leads the Binny’s team through this world-famous Tuscan sub-region and the grape that makes it great. The team talks sangiovese at its finest, tasting 2012 Donatello Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino and 2013 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino. And stick around for the Q&A segment, when the team explains what makes a wine good for aging.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live the glamorous life of a Binny’s Wine Buyer? Meet Barbara Hermann. For the last 30 years, Barb has spearheaded the wine buying program at Binny’s Beverage Depot. She joins the Barrel to Bottle team to cover how the wine world has evolved over the decades, about her extensive travel around the globe, about the Good Old Days, and how she works as a consumer advocate to find the best wines at the best prices.

When beer has needed a voice, Garrett Oliver has supplied it. Author of The Brewmaster’s Table, regarded by many as the quintessential guide to beer and food pairing, and editor of the Oxford Companion to Beer – he has traveled the world, championing the cause of beer. He always found his way back home to the Brooklyn Brewery, where he’s served as brewmaster for over 20 years. The Barrel to Bottle crew had the pleasure of sitting down with this industry icon, where they chatted about everything from classics styles to recent trends.

What do you get when you mix traditionally French varietals (plus a little riesling and gewurztraminer) with German winemaking knowhow? Alsace! The Barrel to Bottle team takes a closer look at one of the world’s most iconic wine regions dedicated almost entirely to white wine production. Alsace is legendary for its benchmark examples of some of the world’s most popular white wine varietals, unmatched in balance and concentration.

The Barrel to Bottle podcast crew celebrates 50 episodes with a special Q&A roundup. Submit your questions to @binnysbev on twitter, facebook or instagram, or email your questions to comments@binnys.com. If the team answers your question on the podcast, you’ll win a $20 Binny’s Gift Card. This fun episode collects some lost Q&A segments, and that means we’re giving away a whole bunch of Binny’s Gift Cards.

This week on Barrel to Bottle, Pat and Roger sit down with Kentucky bourbon dignitary Wes Henderson. Along with his father, Lincoln Henderson, Wes created the category-defining Angel’s Envy by blending bourbons finished in Port barrels. Wes talks bourbon heritage, his brand new Louisville distillery, and what’s on the horizon for his iconic brand. Plus, Wes sticks around for our Q&A segment to answer your question about barrel toast and char.

Cans aren’t just for beer! These days, innovative wineries and distilleries are joining breweries in packaging their beverages in this portable, lightweight and environmentally friendly aluminum container. The Barrel to Bottle crew breaks convention and tastes a collection of wines, cocktails and more from cans. Things get weird. Plus, stick around for this week’s Q&A segment, when the team tackles your question about rose wine.

Beer is simple – just water, barley, hops and yeast, right? These days, breweries are adding all kinds of stuff to their beer, from fruit and spices all the way through candy and breakfast cereal. Roger leads the Barrel to Bottle crew through an epic tour and blind tasting across the spectrum of adjuncts in beer. And stick around for this week’s double Q&A segment, where the team tackles two listener questions.

This week on Barrel to Bottle, Kristen and Greg sit down with two VIPs of California wine, Chris Benziger and John Concannon. Chris Benziger carries the tradition of his family’s winery into the next generation, with all of Benziger’s releases certified sustainable, organic or biodynamic. John Concannon is an advocate for environmental stewardship and sustainability. As a fourth generation vintner, he is hoping for a future as bright as his family’s rich legacy: from bottling the first petite sirah in 1961 to importing key cab clones from Chateau Margaux in 1893 that are now found throughout California. Plus, Chris and John stick around to help with this week’s customer Q&A about wine in cans.

Trophy hunting is a big thing in the whiskey world, but those bottles might only be available one day a year. The Barrel to Bottle team flips whiskey on its head by focusing on the bottom shelf – great whiskeys at a great price available every day. And in the Q&A segment, the Barrel to Bottle team gives their favorite non-Kentucky Bourbon picks.

This week on Barrel to Bottle, Rollin Soles is a scientist. An early “flying winemaker,” Rollin gained experience as a fixer at wineries around the world before founding Argyle in Dundee, Oregon. Rollin sits down with Kristen to talk about Oregon’s natural splendor, his no-nonsense approach to winemaking, and his newest project, ROCO Winery. Stick around for customer Q&A, when Kristen and Greg recommend citrusy wines.

What would you do if your prized stock of Trinidad rum – the inaugural release of your passion project and longshot startup – was accidentally blended with some random whiskey? If you were Turner Wathen, you would bottle it and sell it under the name Fortuitous Union (it helps that it’s delicious). Wathen shares FU with the Barrel to Bottle Crew, plus he talks through the influence his family has had on the whiskey industry over the last two centuries.

When anyone mentions beer, the first thing that comes to mind is probably Pilsner – the brilliantly golden, effervescent and refreshing style. Born in Bohemia, Pilsner has become one of the most widely brewed and recognized styles of beer in the world. The Barrel to Bottle crew covers everything Pilsner, from classic Czech and German examples to heavily hopped American favorites. And in a customer Q&A segment, Roger answers your question about Sierra Nevada’s influence on the craft beer scene. Prost!