Barrel to Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

Binny's wine consultants always have great wine to recommend, at any price point, in any style. For the spring season, we asked all 46 stores to hold their own blind tastings of their favorite wines under $30. The first and second place wine from each store were blind tasted by wine consultants throughout the chain at our quarterly wine meeting and narrowed down to the top 30 . Alicia grabbed 11 h...

Barrel to Bottle is back with another blind tasting, just in time for summer tequila season. Dan brought 12 tequilas under $40; four each of blanco, reposado and añejo. These are perfect for mixing with your favorite tequila cocktail, but you might find a few you just want to sip on as well. Blanco Lunazul Blanco Tequila Cimarron Blanco Tequila Aguasol Blanco Tequila Lalo Tequila Blanco Reposado T...

Binny's is constantly getting new products, and Chris always has his eye on different, interesting and fun wines for us to try. After taking a stroll through the domestic wine aisles, he found eight new wines for spring. Andis Wines Semillon Bill Dillian Vineyard 2023 Presqu'ile Chardonnay 2023 Left Foot Charley Riesling Le Caban Old Mission Peninsula 2023 Giornata Orangotango Orange 2024 Turley C...

Kevin Aslan is Head Distiller for Hirsch Whiskey as well as the other Hotaling brands like Old Portrero and Junipero Gin. Starting at the beloved Anchor Brewing (RIP), Kevin moved over to Anchor Distilling (now Hotaling) and spent ten years resurrecting the Hirsch brand with former guest of the pod Bruce Joseph. Hirsch 'The Horizon' Straight Bourbon Hirsch 'The Bivouac' Straight Bourbon Hirsch Whi...

We at Barrel to Bottle have long maintained that blind tasting is the best way to taste anything. It can be a bit terrifying, but it's the only way to get an unvarnished opinion on anything. Roger has long been an advocate of high proof, budget bourbons and whiskies, so we're blinding 12 American whiskies under $30 and readily available at your neighborhood Binny's. Old Grand-Dad 100 Proof Bonded...

Kimio Yonezawa is the President and Toji (master sake distiller) at Akashi Tai Brewery, and master distiller at the Kaikyō Distillery. This week we're sampling sake and learning from an expert about the best ways to enjoy it and what you can pair it with. We're also sampling their Japanese whiskies and gin. Akashi Tai Junmai Ginjo Sparkling Akashi Tai Tokubetsu Honjozo Sake Hatozaki Finest Japanes...

On this B2B Quick Sips, we're whipping up the official cocktail of New Orleans; no it's not the Hurricane. The Sazerac has a long history, as twisty as the lemon garnish this famous cocktail calls for. Laissez les bon temps rouler!  Check out the recipe on the Binny's blog . 

Do you like juicy IPAs? How about some actual juice? Hard cider was likely America's first alcoholic beverage, but the industry was destroyed by Prohibition. Nearly 100 years later, cider is finally starting to recover. Original Sin Dry Rosé JK's Farmhouse Ciders Scrumpy Right Bee Cider Semi-Dry Stormalong Cider Farmstand Unfiltered Schilling Excelsior Imperial Apple Seattle Cider Raspberry Blosso...

Have you suffered in silence during the hazy days of craft beer IPA? Well, Roger has some good news! The hazy crazy is not over, but more and more people are embracing both old school and modern West Coast IPAs. Bitterness and balance are back!  Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA Roadhouse Interstellar Kush collaboration with Half Acre Half Acre Sunrise Vallejo Half Acre Drip Castle Revolution West C...

Whisky Advocate's Top 20 Whiskies of the year list is always fun to sample through. This year we have 12 ½ of the top 20 to try. This year's list is heavy on Islay whiskies, interesting barrel finishes and as always, old timey candies. #20 - Westland Beer Cask Finish American Single Malt Whiskey #18 - Bushmills 10-Year-Old ex-Bordeaux Cask Irish Single Malt Limited Release #17 - Virginia Distiller...

Yes Mex!co, it's more than tequila! Tequila has been popular for decades, and mezcal has gained in popularity over the last decade but that barely scratches the surface. With over 200 varieties of agave, plus many native plans loaded with potentially fermentable sugars, there's way more than just tequila in Mexico. Casa Dasylirion Sotol Coyote Durango Mazot Sotol Palmilla Blanco Quechol Sotol Whee...

Binny's wine, spirits and beer buyers sample thousands of products every year. Every year Barrel to Bottle asks them to pick their favorite or favorites. This is the best of the best that Binny's has to offer, chosen by the discriminating palates of our buying team. Spirits Buyer Jeff Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Wheated Tip Top Cocktails Wine Buyer Bill Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi S...

The holiday season means one thing for Roger: winter and Christmas beers from around the world. These are big, spicy beers sometimes with crazy adjuncts so buckle up! Gouden Carolus Christmas Ale Schlafly Christmas Ale Southern Tier 2XMAS Victory Merry Monkey Sierra Nevada Celebration Ommegang Everything Naughty Allagash From Maine with Love #38 Great Lakes Cookie Exchange Milk Stout Left Hand Nit...

Every year, the Barrel to Bottle crew is lucky enough to get an early preview of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout. This year's line-up is focused on the importance of barrels, and revisits some favorite recipes from the past with new twists.   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...

The third Thursday of November is Beaujolais Nouveau Day. It also happens to be a week before Thanksgiving, which is convenient because this wine is easy to pair with the vast array of flavors on your holiday table. Take a quick sip of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2024 with Barrel to Bottle.  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at  comments@binnys.com , or reach ou...

For the second year, Binny's presents its list of the Top 50 Wines Under $50 . Wine consultants from every Binny's location conducted their own tasting of their top wines of 2024; from favorites in crowded categories to esoteric, off-the-beaten path offerings, this list has something for everyone. This week on Barrel to Bottle, we're highlighting ten to try from this year's list, in no particular...

Master Blender Ashley Barnes is a super taster with an analytical mind. With a background in molecular biology, she consults with distilleries on quality control and other aspects of their business. This week we're sampling some of her favorite releases. E.J. Curley & Company Small Batch Bourbon Lucky Seven 'The Frenchman' French Oak Finishing Barrel #20 Binny's Handpicked Lucky Seven 'The Holiday...

Dr. Rachel Barrie is the Master Blender for Glenglassaugh, BenRiach and Glendronach. On this episode of Barrel to Bottle, Dr. Rachel meditatively guides us through the sweet side of Speyside. Then we meditatively guide her through a Scotch and flavored popcorn pairing.  Glenglassaugh Sandend Highland Single Malt BenRiach Cask Edition 10-Year-Old ex-Tennessee Whiskey Barrel #6247 2009 BenRiach Cask...

It's never been easier to flex your mixology skills at home than it is now. The ingredients are better, the equipment is more advanced, the techniques are easy to master. This week on Barrel to Bottle we're going to teach you how to impress your friends and family with five cocktails, along with recommendations for accessories and ingredients you can purchase or make yourself. Check out all the co...

If you can't handle the tannins, get out of Montalcino. Or grab some rich, fatty foods like pecorino toscano, fennel-rich finnochiona, butter and crusty Tuscan bread. This week we're highlighting Tuscan wines from Montalcino and the surrounding area.   Altesino Rosso 2022 Caprili Rosso di Montalcino 2022 Caprili Brunello di Montalcino 2019 Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino 2019 Mastrojann...

It's Pumpkin SZN! It's been here for a while because seasonal creep starts earlier and earlier. At the height of the pumpkin craze, our stores were packed with pumpkin and pumpkin-spiced beverages. But after a bit of a lull, pumpkin is on the rise again and the great news is all our favorites are still around.           We've got a whole patch of pumpkin beers, wines and spirits to try this week....

There are always new items in the spirits aisles of Binny's. While bourbon is still very much the focus, don't forget about Scotch, Rye and even Scottish Rye. Jim Beam Sunshine Blend J. Reiger & Co. Straight Bourbon Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Wheated Still Austin High Rye Bourbon Single Barrel #2020/008-1 Binny's Handpicked Angel's Envy Bourbon Sherry Barrel Select #CE055 Binny's Hand...

Oktoberfest is probably our most beloved seasonal beer style, so it just makes sense for Barrel to Bottle to regularly revisit Märzens and Festbiers. There are so many Oktoberfest-adjacent beers on our shelves that we can do an episode almost every year with little to no overlap. This year, we've got a slew of American craft takes on the styles, and only one from Germany. So lace up your dirndl an...

Pinot Noir can sometimes seem daunting to some wine drinkers, but it's not. This week, Chris has five wines from the Willamette Valley 2022 vintage. Originally, experts thought 2022 was going to be a continuation of a run of bad vintages, but things turned around with high quality fruit and better yields than predicted. Maison Noir OPP Other People's Pinot 2022 Hyland Estates Petit Pinot Noir 2022...

Summer may be drawing to a close, but it's going to stay warm for a while. That means there's plenty of time to fire up your blender and rethink frozen cocktails.  They don't need to be sweet and overbearing, they can be balanced and still refreshing and delicious. You can check out all the cocktail recipes on our blog .  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at  comments@...