Barrel to Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

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...

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...

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 favor...

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 C...

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...

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   Mu...

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-...

Hot cracker, it's another edition of BOOZE IN THE NEWS! Our correspondents have traversed the globe to bring you, our listening public, fresh off the presses news about suds, hooch and vino! [prod. note: this episode was recorded before Sapporo announced that it would be completely shuttering Anchor Brewing] Big news from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco New Belgium has changed both the packaging a...

Firestone Walker's Matt Brynildson is a legend in the brewing community. Roger is a big fanboy but this won't be an episode of the Chris Farley Show. Not only is Matt an award-winning brewer, he's a hop evangelist. This week on Barrel to Bottle we're talking brewing and hops with a craft beer icon, as well as sampling Firestone classics and new releases. Firestone Walker Pivo Pils Firestone Walker...

It's another Whiskey Hotline episode! Bruce Joseph is the master distiller at Hotaling & Company, formerly Anchor Brewing & Distilling. Hotaling is best known for their Old Potrero ryes. Bruce started working at Anchor Brewing straight out of college in 1980. He was a brewer for 13 years until they got licensed to distill and he switched over. Fritz Maytag was interested in making rye whiskey, par...

How did an outwardly Italian man end up in Eugene, Oregon making amaro? This week we're talking to Andrea Loreto, co-founder of Elixir Spirits about his journey to making botanical liqueurs in the Pacific Northwest. Andrea's love of cooking led him to discover liqueur recipes in his grandmother's cookbook. After three years of tinkering he had his first product, Calisaya. Elixir Spirits Calisaya C...

It's summer, the perfect time to drink hot coffee and barrel-aged coffee stouts, right? This is part three of Roger's coffee beer trilogy. This time, we're trying four classic coffee beers that have stood the test of time. Roger still loves tea, but he has gotten really into coffee even if he doesn't like the fussy process of brewing it.  Just like previous episodes, we're going to try the beers t...

A few weeks ago, Roger had us trying different beers out of different glasses. It was an enlightening experience and inspired Pat to do a similar episode with various spirits in three different glasses, along with a control plastic tumbler. The Spirits: Clark & Sheffield Bottled in Bond Bourbon   Rye & Sons Rye Whiskey   Bruichladdich Scottish Barley 'The Classic Laddie'   Lagavullin 8 Year Old  ...

Roger is always reliable for predicting the latest trends in beer and beer-adjacent drinks, having  previously predicted Ranch Water and Long Drink. Now, declaring this will be the Summer of Chelada. Micheladas have already been popular for a while, but now cheladas are all the rage.   We're going to try a Brophy-sized quantity of ready-to-drink versions, then we're going to make one from a mix an...

Saké, don't sleep on it. That's the theme of our first ever saké episode. To help us dive into the world of rice wines, we're welcoming wine consultant Neeve from our Lincoln Park store. Greg sat next to the saké buyer for four years, tried a bunch of saké, and never retained anything so she has her work cut out for her. Saké is made from rice, water, yeast and koji which is a type of mold. Koji w...

Chris is making daiquiris, we've got a table full of rum, several rum enthusiasts and most importantly, Marc Farrell. Marc is the CEO and founder of Ten to One Rum.  Marc was frustrated with the public perception of rum, so he decided to do something about it. Ten to One is a blended rum brand that sources from Caribbean distilleries. He combines pot and column still rums, Agricoles, dark and whit...

Binny's is committed to finding world class wines for its customers, so every year we send a small group of wine consultants and buyers to En Primeur. Here, at a marathon pace, we sample hundreds of wines still in barrels to make the difficult decision of what to offer our customers as Bordeaux Futures This week on Barrel to Bottle, we're welcoming Bordeaux buying legend Barbara Hermann, along wit...

Barrel-aged beer, lots of cheese, warm weather; that seems like a perfect combo. This week on Barrel to Bottle, we're revisiting the 2022 Bourbon County Stout line-up with some fun easter eggs and easy food pairings. We sent Roger on a treasure hunt to track down the single-distillery variants of Bourbon County Brand Stout   that saw limited release in 12-ounce   four packs . Beer aged in barrels...

Here at Barrel to Bottle, we're big proponents of tasting blind. We're also big proponents of additive-free tequilas, which are becoming more and more popular with consumers. Without a government oversight body, it's up to producers disclosing it and tequila fans tracking it. Pat has brought nine blanco tequilas and two reposado tequilas. Additive-free, no crap on tap, all bangers.    Blind taste...

This week, Alicia has nine wines that showcase the variety and incredible value of California's Central Coast.  Monterrey County Cru Wine Company Unoaked Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2021 Tatomer Riesling Steinhugel 2021 San Luis Obispo County Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Wolff Vineyard 2020 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc Cherry House Red Blend by Villa Creek 2020 Vina Robles Cabernet Sauvignon...

This isn't the first time we've discussed the importance of glassware. But today we're doing a deeper, more scientific dive specifically on beer glasses. We at Barrel to Bottle firmly believe you should always drink your beer out of a glass. But will one of those straight-sided pint glasses suffice, or is it worth spending some money on a beer glass that had fluid dynamics test performed on it? We...

This week on Barrel to Bottle, we're sitting down with retiring wine consultant Gregory Fulham. Gregory has been with Binny's for the better part of the last four decades. In that time, he's become both a Binny's institution and a Hyde Park institution. In celebration of his retirement, we're opening wines from two of his favorite varieties: Riesling and Port. Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle R...

This is a Chris episode, which means it's esoteric but fun and someone will probably get well actually'd. What's more esoteric than port cocktails? It's probably not as far-fetched as you think though. We cracked open a bottle of Clark & Sheffield 10-Year-Old Tawny Port for these cocktails that range from simple to complicated and would be perfect for Elevenses, brunch or even a night cap. Check o...

Because Pat is Pat, we had to turn What Does That Taste Like vol. 3 into a two-parter. For part two, Pat has brought a wide range of spirits from all over the world. What the hell do these taste like? Find out! Honkaku Reserve Special Selection Amagi 9-Year-Old Rum Single Cask #3094 Binny's Handpicked Honkaku Reserve Special Selection Amagi 9-Year-Old Rum Single Cask #3097 Binny's Handpicked   Nev...

It's time once again to answer the world's oldest question, "What the Hell Does That Taste Like?" Have you ever seen a bottle of some wine, beer or spirit at Binny's and wondered what it is? This is the episode for you. And because Pat can't help himself, this ended up being a two parter. Roger's Beers: Weihenstephaner Vitus   WarPigs Divine Huntress   Weihenstephaner Korbinian   Maplewood Silver...