Barrel to Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

Gin: it's a canvas for expression to distillers, a clutch tool to elevate cocktails for mixologists, and an excitingly diverse spirit for the Barrel to Bottle team to taste. Binny's Skokie Assistant Manager Shannon leads the podcast team through a tour of some of her recent gin discoveries: Boone County Jail Gin, Old Elk Distillery Dry Town Gin, Copper & Kings American Dry Gin, Few Spirits Bourbon...

Old Forester is making a huge comeback, propelled by great new releases and the contributions of fresh blood including Master Taster Jackie Zykan. Jackie joins the Barrel to Bottle team to taste through some excellent bottles from Old Forester, including two now nearly unobtainable Binny's handpicks (a few bottles are still out there, so if you see one, buy it!) plus Old Fo's 1897 Bottled in Bond...

Spain is more than old school! Just back from his trip to Spain, Binny's Oak Brook Wine Manager Jon Adam joins the Barrel to Bottle team to highlight wines from two thriving Spanish winemaking regions: Rueda and Ribera del Duero. The team tastes whites from Rueda: Jose Pariente Sauvignon Blanc, Naia Rueda and Naia Naiades; and reds from Ribera del Duero: Torres Celeste Crianza Blue Label, Protos R...

Director of Winemaking at Hess, David Guffy, is back on the Barrel to Bottle podcast. Topics include his love of malbec and cabernet, earthquakes and fires and his daily commute, the impact of elevation, and of course, winery dogs. The team tastes through a flight of Hess cabernet, including Hess Select, Hess Collection Allomi Vineyard, Hess Collection Mount Veeder, and the iconic The Lion. Stick...

Another industry giant joins the Barrel to Bottle podcast. This week, it's Stone Brewing Executive Chairman and Co-founder Greg Koch. Greg and the team taste Stone IPA, Arrogant Consortia's Arrogant Bastard and Enter Night, plus Courage Russian Imperial Stout (made by Wells &Young, not by Stone) and Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2014 (from Roger's personal stash). This episode marks Greg's first Ma...

How do you describe what you're tasting? How do you put into words the difference between a navel orange and a mandarin orange? This week's Barrel to Bottle podcast is all about the language we - tasters and critics both professional and amateur - use to describe wine, spirits and beer, from flavor to texture and beyond. And stick around to the end. Host Kristen has some big news.

Aging red wines is common - but what about aging white wines? Kristen is joined by Binny's Wine Buyer Bill Newton and legendary German wine importer Derek Vinnicombe, plus producers Paul Anheuser and Stefen Bollig. The team talks recent German vintages, differences across years and drinking these wines aged and unaged. To illustrate, the team tries young and old bottles from the same vineyard side...

Ian Millar has seen it all and has the stories and knowledge to prove it. Ian and Kirstin Grant of William Grant & Sons join the Barrel to Bottle Crew for a conversation about the past, present and future of Glenfiddich. It wouldn't be a Barrel to Bottle podcast without sampling some of their fine Scotch, including the Glenfiddich 12-year-old, Glenfiddich 14-year-old and Fire & Cane, a blend of pe...

In a beer scene dominated by all the hottest styles and latest releases, sometimes it's refreshing to take a look at the classics. On this week's episode of Barrel to Bottle, Master Brewer Gavin Scoreby shares all the ways Samuel Smith's Old Brewery keeps things traditional, from their centuries-old brewhouse to local delivery powered by horse. The team tastes Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale, Organic La...

In 1981, the Widmer family fell in love with Tuscany, purchasing the Brancaia estate in Castellina in Chianti. Since then, with oenologist Barbara Widmer at the winemaking helm, Brancaia has grown to include three estates across Tuscany and a portfolio of accessible and world-class wines. Barbara walks the Barrel to Bottle team through some of her favorites, including Brancaia Tre, Chianti Classic...

Not only is Westland Distillery leading the charge for American single malt whiskey, but they're capturing the Pacific Northwest in every bottle of single malt whiskey they produce (yes, whiskey with an E, it's American). Westland cofounder and master distiller Matt Hofmann leads the Barrel to Bottle team through an in-depth tour of his whiskies, from their core range - American Oak, Peated, and S...

All those legendary, unobtainable bottles - are they worth the hype? The Barrel to Bottle crew tastes iconic, collectible whiskey, so you don't have to. Featuring top-notch bottlings from Old Forester, Eagle Rare, Wild Turkey, Angel's Envy and Pappy Van Winkle, this episode took some work. Stick around for the Q&A segment, when the team answers your question for a $20 Binny's Gift Card. In this we...

Sour beers make up one of the most sought after styles around today. Sours are the ultimate beers for beer nerds, perfectly illustrating how beer is a combination of science and art. Roger walks the Barrel to Bottle team through a few favorite Lambic and Geuze examples, and he has a couple tricks up his sleeve, too. Beers tasted include Lindemans Framboise, Lindemans Cuvee Rene, Boon Geuze Mariage...

Fruit, earth, meaty and savory and floral characteristics: when you're talking about wine, syrah from the Northern Rhone includes some of the most intense and complex reds in the world. Kristen leads the Barrel to Bottle team through a guided tour of the region and a tasting of excellent examples including Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 2014, Barruol Lynch Hermitage 2016,  J.L. Chave Selection Crozes He...

Winter keeps holding on in Chciago, so we're talking about wine perfect for the weather: mulled wine and ice wine. Part one: Fire. Mulled wine is a style that includes glogg and gluhwein - spiced wine traditionally served warm. The Barrel to Bottle team tastes Glunz Glogg and St. Christopher Gluhwein as examples. Part two: IOce. Ice wine is a dessert style where grapes reach extreme ripeness by ha...

Tickets are available now for the 2019 WINE EXPO. In this special bonus episode, the Barrel to Bottle team is joined by Barb Steadman, Assistant Director of Wine Sales at Binny's, who covers highlights from the Wine Expo - stuff like guided tours, seminars, the rose garden, a special VIP room, and a bunch more. Plus, the B2B team calls up the newest wine critic to write for robertparker.com, Antho...

Despite being constructed in the 1960's, the only way to get a taste of GlenAllachie over the last half-century was through rare independent bottlings or as a component in favorite blended Scotch. That's all changing with new ownership, and Binny's is excited to share the new OB GlenAllachie bottlings. Noted Distillery personality David Keir offers the Barrel to Bottle team an insider's view of th...

What does it take to persevere through the many trials and tribulations to reach the highest recognized level of education in the beer world? The Barrel to Bottle team is joined by the Golden Nose himself, Master Cicerone Jason Pratt, one of just eighteen in the world to reach Master Cicerone status. Jason shares his sensory perception techniques and encyclopedic knowledge, covering topics includi...

It's easy to get caught up in local craft spirits, especially living in an area like Chicagoland that's home to an incredible collection of craft options. Just don't miss out on highlights from far away, including insanely remote places such as Hallock, Minnesota, home of Far North Spirits. This week, Johny Barbosa of Far North shares his incredible portfolio of criminally underappreciated craft s...

Is that the red or the white? The Barrel to Bottle team takes a look at California's 'own grape' from the craze of the 1980s to today's high quality dry red versions. Zinfandel has a rather arcane history and no French connection, meaning this underdog had to grow into prominence all on it's own, of course with the help of a few dedicated grape growers and winemakers. You can't ignore how importan...

Juicy, fruity, dank and hazy – these are all buzzwords to describe the direction of IPA today. But for every action, there's an opposite reaction. Enter brut IPA, the dry new IPA style that's crisp, clean and focused. Roger leads the Barrel to Bottle team through a tasting including examples from Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Ommegang, Revolution, Hopewell and Miskatonic Brewing, plus a hoppy sparkl...

We're back with Part II of Brett Pontoni's interview with Jim Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe. This distilling industry legend shares keeping the family tradition going as he brings his son into the fold and offers some insights into how the business has changed over the years after growth and merging with international partnerships. Plus, Fred tackles your questions in our Q&A segment, and powers...

Spirits industry history runs deep for Fred Noe. The Master Distiller of Jim Beam Distillery, Fred is the seventh in his family to hold the position over the last two hundred years. Brett Pontoni from the Whiskey Hotline chats with this industry veteran, covering topics from how to taste whiskey and favorite flavor descriptors, to the Fred keeping the tradition going with the next generation. Plus...

Kansas Whiskey? Not only is it a thing, but Kansas City, Missouri's J. Rieger distillery was once the largest mail-order whiskey producer in the US. This week, the Barrel to Bottle team is joined by Brett and Joe from The Whiskey Hotline to interview Ryan Maybee, who in 2014 resurrected this historic brand along with some help from industry icons like Tom Nichols and Dave Pickerell. Stick around f...

Seasons Greetings from Binny's and the Barrel to Bottle Crew! This week, we're talking about the best part of Christmas: winter beers, of course. From old world classics to the craft seasonals they inspired, the team covers the whole holiday beer range. Beers tasted include Weltenberger Asam Bock, Rochefort 10, Avery Old Jubilation, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Great Lakes Christmas and Lagunitas Br...