Provence might be the epicenter of Rosé but you can find the style all over the world. If you can grow grapes, you’re probably making Rosé. This week on Barrel to Bottle, with warm weather approaching, we are checking out Rosés from around the world. The grapes and methods are different everywhere but they’re all great in spring, summer and really all year round. Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli Rosé 2023 Day Wines Pinot Noir Rosé Lemonade 2022 Charles Gonnet Rosé Vin de Savoie 2023 The Pale Rosé...

Binny’s has a vast resource of knowledgeable wine associates, probably the best in the business with arguably the biggest selection. While it is possible to stumble onto a hidden gem, Pat and Rog wanted to tap into our vast resources by engaging with our passionate staff members. Join us for Pat & Rog’s Excellent Wine Adventure. Be excellent to each other, this will not be a bogus journey. Also, a listener question about the difference between white, red and dry vermouths. Paul Prieur...

What’s New in Beer? As always, the beer shelves are constantly changing and we’re here to help you make sense of the new brands, styles, returning favorites in new packaging and special releases. Firestone Walker XPA Weihenstephaner Braupakt collaboration w/St. Bernardus Maplewood Belle La Vie Stormalong Cider Unfiltered Southern Tier Orange Twist collaboration w/Perry’s Ice Cream Deschutes Black Butte NA Porter Maplewood In Dark Trees AleSmith Speedway Stout New Orleans Café If you have a...

Take a trip to Northern Italy with Barrel to Bottle this week. Chris brought wines from the broader Langhe Hills, along with some everyday drinking wines from the region, and wines from the much-hyped 2019 vintage. As with much of what we feature on the podcast, these wines pair great with a wide variety of food. Ca del Sarto Barbera d’Alba 2021 Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba 2022 Paolo Scavino Langhe Nebbiolo 2022 Bruno Giacosa Nebbiola d’Alba 2020 Silvio Grasso Barolo 2019 GD Vajra Barolo Albe...

Celebrities, they’re just like you: they love wine. In some cases they like wine so much they create their own brand or buy an existing brand. Taking us down this Hollywood Walk of Fame of celebrity wines is Ray Denton, from our Elmwood Park store. Viarae Prosecco Invivo X SJP Sauvignon Blanc Sarah Jessica Parker 2023 Plumpjack Chardonnay Reserve 2020 Sun Goddess Pinot Grigio Ramato 2021 Avaline Rosé Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2020 Z Alexander Brown Ole Smoky Whiskey...

We’ve covered bocks before on Barrel to Bottle, but as interest in lagers continues to grow at a rapid pace, Roger thought this was the best time to revisit the style.  Ayinger Maibock Roaring Table Maibock Weihenstephaner Korbinian Goldfinger Złotonator Doppelbock Maplewood Dark Trees Sketchbook Illustrator Doppelbock Boulevard Dark Crator Pollyanna Jötunheimr Pollyanna Double Frozen Bourbon Barrel Aged Jötunheimr If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us...

The Whiskey Hotline is constantly bringing in new and interesting single barrels from your favorite distilleries. Some even Whiskey Hotline Handpicks are the best value in spirits. This week we’re sampling Tequila, Irish Whiskey and Bourbon. Also this week, a question from a listener about adding water to your bourbon or whiskey. El Tesoro Reposado Single Barrel #B024L323 Binny's Handpicked El Tesoro Reposado Single Barrel #B077L315 Binny's Handpicked Teeling Irish Single Malt finished in...

Even the Barrel to Bottle crew can walk the aisles of Binny’s, with our thousands of bottles and cans, and wonder “What the Hell Does That Taste Like?” Occasionally it behooves us then, to do an episode dedicated to answering this question. Roger, Chris and Pat have assembled a line-up of beer, wine and spirits that are a little esoteric, a little off the beaten path or just plain odd. Plus, a special treat: the first-ever Binny’s Barrel to Bottle Handpicked. Three Floyds Jinx Proof Lager...

This week, we head to Germany for the second in our series of dark larger podcasts. Get ready for Dunkels and Schwarzbierss and Emmenthalers and Thuringers. Roger brought the goods with a Brophy’s worth of beer and the finest meats and cheeses to pair with them. Prost! Hofbräu Munchen Dunkel Hofbräuhaus-Freising Dunkel Weltenburger Barock Dunkel Dovetail Dunkel Lager Flensburger Dunkel Roaring Table Dunkel Ayinger Bavarian Dark Lager Urban Chestnut Dorfbier Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier...

Bill Foley has irons in a lot of fires. He owns the Las Vegas Golden Knights and AFC Bournemouth in the English Premiere League. More relevant to Barrel to Bottle, he also owns Foley Family Wines, Charles Goodnight Bourbon in Texas, and Lighthouse Gin in New Zealand. This week on Barrel to Bottle we’ll cover the ins and outs of the wine and spirits world as well as the NHL and the EPL. If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at [email protected], or reach out to us...

We like to get esoteric on Barrel to Bottle, but this might be our most esoteric topic yet: Shochu (not to be confused with Soju). What is it, how is it made, what does it taste like and what do you do with it? This week we welcome Jay, Binny's resident Shochu expert/enthusiast, to answer these questions. He’s here to guide us through Shochu 101, sampling Shochus from four different styles. Furusawa Motoko Honkaku Shochu Made With Rice Yokka Ryukyu Awamori Made With 4 Day Koji Iichiko...

Head on down to the RUM SHOW! Over the busy holiday season, we quietly got shipments of six Binny’s Handpicked rums and you’re in luck because we still have them in stock! Forget everything you think you know about rum, because you’ve been missing out on some of the best bang for your buck in the category of aged spirits. El Dorado 10-Year-Old Single Barrel 032/2023 Binny’s Handpicked from Coffey Savalle and Wooden Pot Stills El Dorado 11-Year-Old Single Barrel 031/2023 Binny’s Handpicked...

Whose Wine Is It Anyway? Are You Smarter Than a Podcast Host? Wine, Lose or Draw! This week on Barrel to Bottle, Pat, Greg and Roger are competing to see who knows the most about wine. Your hosts, Alicia and Chris, brought along some wine to sample just so Pat wouldn’t get too bored and start complaining. Mary Taylor Cahors 2020 Barista Pinotage 2022 Marc Ollivier Domaine de la Pepiere Clisson Muscadet 2020 Rombauer Chardonnay 2022 Cave Spring Cellars Riesling Icewine 2019 Pra Amarone...

We're back with part 2 of our two-parter covering Whisky Advocate's top 20 of 2023. Check out part 1 on our blog.  10. Glendronach Cask Strength Batch #12 9. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Foursquare Rum Cask Finish 8. Glenmorangie A Tale of Forest Limited Release #9 Botanical Infusion 7. Dewar’s Double Double 21-Year-Old Mizunara Cask Finished 6. Maker’s Mark 11-Year-Old Cellar Aged 2023 Limited Release 4. Little Book Chapter 7 In Retrospect Blended American Whiskey 2023...

Every year, Binny’s sees more and more bottles from Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 on our shelves. With seventeen bottles this year, we had to make this a two-parter.   We’ll be counting down from 20 to 11 this week, check back next week for the final ten. 20. Ezra Brooks Straight Rye Whiskey 99 Proof 18. Teeling Single Pot Still Portuguese Oak Wonders of Wood 17. Crown Royal Noble Collection Barley Edition 15. Old Elk Port Cask Finished Bourbon Limited Release 14. Glenfiddich 12-Year-Old Sherry...

What’s new in beer? There’s ALWAYS something new in beer, because beer drinkers have become accustomed to breweries releasing a new beer every week. One positive that comes from this onslaught of new beers is breweries revisiting classic styles. Roger brought in a slew of new releases, re-releases and one rebrand, plus none of them are Czech Dark Lagers! Urban Chestnut Czech Pilsner Pollyanna Rustic Route collaboration with Goldfinger and Binny’s Three Floyds Return of the Ancients...

It’s yet another Whiskey Hotline episode, this must be some kind of record. Owen Martin is master distiller at Angel’s Envy, but his career in the beverage alcohol industry goes back years and covers both brewing and distilling. Studying distilling at the illustrious Harriet Watt and working in Stranahan’s cask-finishing program was a natural precursor to working at Angel’s Envy. Angel’s Envy just released their cask-strength rye to go along with the cask-strength bourbon. We also have five...

Mark Reynier has a lot to say about terroir, but this isn’t a wine episode. While Mark does have an extensive wine background, his passion now is spirits terroir. After re-establishing Bruichladdich, he founded Waterford Whisky in Ireland and the Renegade Rum Distillery in Grenada. This week on Barrel to Bottle, we’re sampling Waterford single malts and Renegade rum, while Mark shares his thoughts on barley and sugar cane terroir.  Waterford Single Farm Origin Dunbell Irish Single Malt...

Czech Dark Lager is a thing, Roger isn’t just willing it into existence. Over the past year many local breweries have paid homage to the style. This week, Roger brought in a Brophy’s worth of Czech Dark Lagers, both local and imported, for a blind taste test. We’re also pairing these beers with walnuts, Arkansas Black apples, smoked goose breast and two kinds of cheese. Na zdraví! Lev Lion Dark Lager Dovetail Czech Dark Lager Praga Dark Lager Half Acre Czech Dark Lager Off Color Ten Crowns...

Last week, we welcomed Binny’s team of experienced buyers and asked them to pick their favorite or favorites from 2023. Now, it’s Barrel to Bottle’s turn to tackle this difficult question. Wine, spirits and beer, what are Barrel to Bottle’s favorites from 2023?   Roger’s Picks Off Color Beer for Dealing With Your Family Bell’s Black Note Chris’ Picks Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Spatlese 2021 Val de Garrigues Cotes du Rhone Black 2022 Pat’s two and only two Picks Teeling...

Every year, Binny’s wine, spirits, beer and cigar buyers sample thousands of products to find the best stuff for the best price. Also every year, we at Barrel to Bottle ask the buyers to answer a nearly impossible question: what was at the best thing you had this year?  Heaven Hill 7-Year-Old Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge Cuvée Classique 2020 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2020   Sierra Nevada Celebration New Scotch, including Lochlea,...

John Campbell might be a familiar name to Scotch drinkers because of his 27 years at Laphroaig. Now he’s the master distiller of Lochlea, which is part of a wave of new single malt Scotch distilleries that have opened in the last few years. Lochlea grows 100% of the malt for their distillate, making them a true farm distillery. As a lowland distillery, Lochlea doesn’t make peated whisky. It wouldn’t be true to their environment as it is mostly farm land and rolling hills. Lochlea Our...

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...

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...