Barrel To Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

It’s a Whiskey Hotline episode, which means were at the Lincoln Park store with Brett. More importantly, we’re welcoming Dr. Don Livermore master blender at one of the largest distilleries on the continent, Hiram Walker. So, what is Canadian Whisky and why should you drink it? Dr. Don is here to answer these questions and explain the process of blending Canadian Whisky. J.P. Wiser's 10-year-old Blended Canadian Whisky J.P. Wiser's 18-year-old Canadian Whisky J.P. Wiser's 27-year-old Canadian Whisky J.P. Wiser's Signature Series Binny's Custom Blend #AA1677 High Rye J.P. Wiser's Signature Series Binny's Custom Blend #AA1782 30% 10y Corn 30% 14y Corn 25% 5y Malt 15% 5y Wheat J.P. Wiser's Signature Series Binny's Custom Blend # AA1783 25% 10y Corn 25% 14y Corn 25% 8y Rye 15% 5y Wheat 10% 5y Barley If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift

Barleywine! All the cool kids are drinking it. It’s a perfect food beer, especially with the holiday season approaching. Our third Barleywine episode is finally being recorded during appropriate weather, and Roger couldn’t help but bring a delicious spread of cheeses, dried fruits, and crackers. Barleywine used to be all the rage with beer nerds, but sadly it has fallen by the wayside. But the style is so much more than an old man beer that Pat buries in his backyard. Featuring: White Oak Barrel Alley Wheat Wine Collaboration with Binny's Revolution Straight Jacket If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

As sprawling as the Binny’s Handpicked Single Barrel program has become, it all started with a single cask of Scotch in 1997. The Whiskey Hotline’s 2023 Signatory Handpicked Single Barrels have hit stores and this week we’re sampling all eight offerings. Signatory labels are very information-heavy but leave a lot to be desired stylistically. The liquid inside is far from boring though because with Signatory picks, the Whiskey Hotline strives to find distilleries that are not usually available in the US. Signatory North British 13-Year-Old Single Grain 1st Fill ex Bourbon Barrel # 260514 Binny's Handpicked 2009 Signatory Royal Brackla 14-Year-Old 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel # 305113 Binny's Handpicked 2008 Signatory Auchroisk 11-Year-Old 1st Fill Hogshead #809654 Binny's Handpicked 2011 Signatory Glen Keith 29-Year-Old Hogshead #82774 Binny's Handpicked 1993 Signatory Edradour 10-Year-Old 1st Fill Sherry Butt #409 Binny's Handpicked 2012 Signatory Mortlach 10-Year-Old 1st Fill Sherry Butt #7 Binny's Handpicked 20

It’s that time of year again, when we at Barrel to Bottle have the opportunity to visit the Goose Island Barrel Warehouse and sample the new line-up of Bourbon County Stout. Then we race back to the studio to record our thoughts on this year’s beers. Before we get into it though, we grabbed some of Goose’s new Christmas IPA because Roger knows it’s right up Greg’s alley. It’s a West Coast IPA! It’s got bitterness and a malt backbone!  Bourbon County Stout 2023 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Original 2023 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Eagle Rare 2-Year Reserve Stout Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Angel’s Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Backyard Stout Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Bananas Foster Stout Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Proprietor’s Stout 2023 Goose Island’s 2023 Bourbon County Brand Stout goes on sale at all Binny’s locations on Friday, November 24th    If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email

The Binny's Tasting Panel and wine consultants from all 45 Binny's locations have curated a list of the top 50 wines under $50 for 2023.  This week on Barrel to Bottle, we wanted to draw your attention to 10 wines that we really think you should check out, especially as the holidays approach. Trimbach Riesling 2020 Sigalas Santorini 2022 Lange Chardonnay Three Hills Cuvee 2021 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc 2021 Champagne Palmer Brut Reserve GD Vajra Langhe Rosso 2022 Sandhi Pinot Noir 2021 Emeritus Pinot Noir Hallberg Ranch 2019 Pingus PSI 2020 Details by Senegal Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 You can check out the full list on our blog.  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

Byron Copeland has worn a lot of hats at the Jack Daniel's Distillery. He started in their cooperage, where he led teams in various points of the barrel making process from making heads, to hoops, to toasting, charring, and seasoning of barrels. He’s now an ambassador for Jack Daniel’s and Manager of Leadership Acceleration and Maturation Innovation. Byron is also a master taster and conducts barrel selections, including Binny’s Handpicked single barrels with the Whiskey Hotline. Luckily for Greg, Byron brought along some bottles to taste. Jack Daniel’s Bonded  Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash  Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

We’re opening some big Napa wines that are always popular around the holidays, along with some other Napa favorites that are perfect for gifts or holiday feasts. These aren’t outrageously-priced and they aren’t hard to find. Today, we’re tasting wines side-by-side from the Napa area to prove that there is a lot of diversity in this region. Featured this week on Barrel to Bottle: Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2021 Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2019 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2021 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis 2020 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Chappellet Signature Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2018 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out

The Whiskey Hotline has a tough job; traveling the globe for the best spirits at the best price sampling all these spirits, making the hard decisions about which ones meet their high standards. That also means you, the customer, always have something new and unique to try. Sometimes it can be hard to make a choice, and that’s where Barrel to Bottle steps in. We’re here to round up some of the latest Whiskey Hotline offerings that we think you won’t want to miss. Clark & Sheffield XO Cognac  Huber's Starlight Distillery Rye Finished in Vino de Naranja Wine Cask #21-2294  Huber's Starlight Distillery Bourbon Finished in Vino de Naranja Wine Cask #22-2149  Huber's Starlight Distillery Bourbon Finished in Tokaji Cask #22-2547 ­Huber's Starlight Distillery Bourbon Finished in Blueberry Port Cask #22-2470  Old Potrero 7 year 10 month old Cask Strength Straight Rye Single Cask #1 11-14/3  Old Potrero 9 year 3 month old Cask Strength Straight Rye Single Cask #2 2-13/4  Old Potrero 7 year 11-month-old Cask

All the way from Scotland, Stewart Buchanan is the Global Brand Ambassador for Glenglassaugh, BenRiach, and Glendronach. Stewart is one of the few global brand ambassador’s Pat knows that worked in a distillery. Stewart brought three bottles of the latest offerings from Glenglassaugh. The distillery had previously been mothballed from 1986 to 2008 but since its reopening it has been subsequently sold to Brown-Forman. Since then, they’ve reopened and begun distilling again, as well as reviving their floor malting program. If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

Chris brought too much sherry, too much food and made too many cocktails and we didn't want you to miss out so here's a bonus episode from our recent deep dive into sherry. You can see all the cocktail recipes on our blog. 

Sherry, what is it? What do you do with it? What does it go with? The answers to these questions are much simpler than you might think. Sherry isn’t just for Brits. It’s actually very popular with tapas, so next time you’re digging into some small plates, skip the sangria and go for some PX, Manzanilla, or Cream. Like a bunch of sardines in a can, Chris has packed a lot into this week’s episode. We’re trying sherry, we’re pairing them with a delicious array of meats, cheeses, nuts, fruits, and canned fish, then we’re mixing up an array of sherry cocktails. You can find all the cocktail recipes from this episode on our blog.  Emilio Lustau Solera Reserva Manzanilla Sherry Papirusa    Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Palomino Fino  Valdespino Tio Diego Amontillado  Emilio Lustau Solera Reserva Oloroso Sherry Don Nuno  Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry  Emilio Lustau Solera Reserva Pedro Ximenez Sherry San Emilio  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to u

If it feels like we’ve done multiple episodes about amaro, it’s because we have a loud guy on the show who always has some amaro on him. It’s actually been almost four years since we had an entire episode dedicated to Pat’s favorite bitter Italian liqueur. Last time we had twelve amari, and that was only scratching the surface. Roger is back, to have his taste buds tortured by these Italian bitter digestives. Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur  Cardamaro Vino Amaro  Cappelletti Mazzura Aperitivo Bitter  Matchbook Distilling Day Trip Strawberry Amaro  Caffo del Capo Amaro  Paolucci Amaro Cio Ciaro  Ramazzotti Amaro  Fred Jerbis Amaro 16  Nardini l’Amaro  Luxardo Amaro Abano  Francoli Antico Amaro Noveis  Santa Maria Amaro  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcast

Chartreuse has been around for centuries and always popular with mixologists. It took a global pandemic to make the French herbal liqueur a household name though. Carthusian monks have been making it by hand since the 1700s and were always able to keep up with demand. In the last few years, they have decreased production to focus more on being monks instead of liquor executives. Now you can pretty much only get it in the US if you own a bar. Roger has poured samples of Chartreuse and six alternatives. Additionally, he made seven Last Word cocktails with each of the seven samples. We’re blind tasting these seven samples, hoping to find an alternative to Chartreuse that is just as good and readily available in our stores. After we try all of that, Roger will whip up two more Chartreuse cocktails. Check out all three cocktail recipes on our blog.        Dolin Genepy des Chamois Bitter Liqueur       Escorial Green       Chartreuse       Enrico Toro Centerba 72 Digestif      Boomsma Claerkampster Cloosterbitter

Brent Elliott has been master distiller since the legendary Jim Rutledge stepped down in 2015. Brent was hired as a chemist 20 years ago, when Four Roses was only available overseas and in Kentucky. Because it was a skeleton crew, they needed help everywhere, so he was able to learn about multiple facets of production. Four Roses Small Batch Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon  Four Roses Elliott’s Select Limited Edition Barrel Strength Single Barrel  Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2022 Release Barrel Strength  Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

It seems like Oktoberfest beers come out earlier and earlier every year, which means we’re recording our regular Oktoberfest beer podcast earlier and earlier. This year we’re tasting these blind, with producer Jim as our dungeon master. We’re sampling 12 Oktoberfest Märzens, both import and domestic, along with a line-up of delicious meat sticks from Pat’s favorite butcher. Great Lakes Oktoberfest  Hopewell Oktoberfest Lager  Spaten Oktoberfest  Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbier  Half Acre Lager Town  Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen  Samuel Adams Octoberfest  Goose Island Oktoberfest  Ayinger Oktoberfest Märzen  Three Floyd’s Munsterfest  Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen  Metropolitan Afterburner Oktoberfest  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review

What’s new in beer? New bottles and cans are constantly showing up on our shelves, so it can be difficult to keep track of everything. Fatigue is certainly setting in because of the pervasiveness of certain styles. Luckily some brewers are stepping up to resurrect forgotten styles and put new spins on existing ones. Roger is here with a slew of new (and two old) brews to try from some of our favorite breweries. More Pub Ale  Maplewood Country Mile  Maplewood My Cousin Binny Vol. 2  More Morever Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA  Sierra Nevada Nooner Pilsner  Off Color Beer for Bags  Off Color Tour de Biere Radler  Revolution Lucia  Revolution Caramel Crisp collaboration with Garrett Popcorn  Off Color Beer Prime Cut collaboration with Binny’s Beverage Depot  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe

It’s Sangria Season! Following our episode on easy-going outdoor drinkin' wines, Chris threw together four sangria recipes at the last minute, which is impressive. Part of the process of making sangria is fine-tuning the sweetness, the strength or anything else you might want to add or subtract. Follow the recipes on our blog or make them your own. If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

Legendary director, producer and writer Steven Soderbergh is passionate about Singani63. But what is Singani? This week on Barrel to Bottle, Steven and Casa Real distiller Luis-Pablo Granier will answer all our questions. What is it? How is it made? What does it taste like? How can you use it?   If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

The wine department finally brought in a respectable amount of wine for a podcast. It’s not quite a full Brophy’s worth, but they’re stepping up their game for tasty summer wines that will go great with picnics. Don’t say porch pounders though! These are easy-going, outdoor drinkin’ wines that are off the beaten path. Pascal Arnoux Bourgogne Aligoté 2021  Mr. Brightside Gamay Noir Blanc 2022  Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2022  Brooks Amycas White 2022  Domaine Confuron Gindre Coteaux Bourgogne 2020  Caruso e Minini Frappato 2021  Domaine de Saint Just Saumur Rouge Les Terres 2021  Meinklang Prosa Rosé Frizzante Natural 2022  Renardat Fache Initiale Cerdon de Bugey  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

What’s new in Binny’s Handpicked Casks? This is an episode we could probably do every month, because the Whiskey Hotline is always scouring the globe for unique and interesting single barrels. It’s time for the Hotline Handpicked Round-up! JP Wiser’s Signature Series Binny’s Custom Blend #AA1782 JP Wiser’s Signature Series Binny’s Custom Blend #AA1783 The Whistler Irish Single Malt Finished in ex-Premier Cru Bordeaux Wine Casks Binny’s Handpicked  Copper & Cask Bourbon Barrel #MF-763 Florida-aged 6-Year-Old MGP 21% Rye Binny’s Handpicked  Rabbit Hole Cavehill Single Barrel #4  Penelope Bourbon Toasted Char 5 Heavy Toast 6-Year-Old #23-1057 Binny’s Handpicked Penelope Bourbon Toasted Char 1 Heavy Toast 5-Year-Old #23-1058 Binny’s Handpicked  NULU Bourbon Finished in Amburana Barrels Binny’s Handpicked Small Batch  Plantation Rum Single Cask Barbados 11-Year Maury Cask Finished Binny’s Handpicked 2011  Duncan Taylor GlenAllachie 14 year old Single Sherry Cask Binny's Handpicked 2008 Duncan Taylor Laphroaig