Barrel To Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

Every winter, Binny’s spirits buyers gather all the new ready-to-drink canned cocktails for a massive tasting. This event, known as Canapalooza, is where they narrow down hundreds of products to the ones that are worth drinking. For every can you find on the shelf, there are probably 10 or more that were rejected. Are you stilly, or bubby? These are this year’s standouts. Good Boy Vodka John Daly Cocktail Surfside 8 Pack Cans Vosa Vodka Water Vosa High Line Minus 196 Vodka Seltzer Variety Carbliss Passion Fruit Vodka Cocktail Carbliss Margarita Three Floyds Vodka Splash Orange, Lemon & Pineapple The Long Drink Company Peach Cocktail Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop Cutwater Grape Vodka Transfusion Pusser’s Rum Painkiller Cocktail Tip Top Bees Knees 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 wh

We’re back with the second part of our two-parter highlighting some of the many new arrivals to our stores. Last week we covered beer, cider, and wine. This week, we’re on to spirits. Dewar’s Double Double 21-Year-Old Ruby Marsala Cask Finished Binny’s Handpicked Santa Teresa 1796 Limited Edition Arabica Coffee Cask Finished Rum Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength Rum Patron Cristalino Tequila WhistlePig CampStock Wheat Whiskey 2024 Ardnamurchan First Fill ex-PX Sherry Hogshead #1322 Binny’s Handpicked Highland Single Malt Lagavulin 11-Year-Old Offerman Edition Finished in Caribbean Oak Casks Limited Release 2024 Sunshine Punch Orange Cream Cocktail 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.

Things are never quiet at the receiving dock of your local Binny’s. New items are coming in constantly and it’s hard to keep track of everything. As usual, Barrel to Bottle is here with some helpful recommendations. We have so many new arrivals that we had to do a two-parter. First up is beer, cider, and wine. Urban Chestnut Old Maibock collaboration with Old Nation Roaring Table Holiday Romance Hopewell Noble Device collaboration with Binny’s JK’s Farmhouse Ciders Patriotic Paw Paw Three Floyds Battle of the Barbarians collaboration with Binny’s Three Floyds Bubblegumhead Straight Malt Whiskey Luis Pato Vinho Espumante Maria Gomes Francis Blanchet Pouilly Fume Calcite 2023 Attems Pinot Grigio 2023 Chateau Trinquevedel Tavel Rosé 2023 Turley Zinfandel Juvenile 2022 Chateau Poujeaux Moulis 2015 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 C

Have you ever had Danish whisky? Neither have we! Lasse Vesterby is one of nine co-founders of Stauning Whisky. At Stauning, they distill Danish-grown rye and barely and floor malt everything at their facility. Stauning Rye Whisky Stauning Bastard Rye Whisky Finished in ex-Mezcal Barrels Stauning El Clasico Rye Whisky Finished in Vermouth Barrels Stauning Kaos Blended Malt Whisky Stauning Smoke Single Malt Danish Whisky 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.  

Half Acre’s Matt Young has been with the brewery for almost as long as Daisy Cutter has been around, which happens to be 15 years this summer. Daisy Cutter put Half Acre on the map, but they have never been only about big hoppy beers. They’ve always been just as committed to brewing delicious lagers.   Half Acre Hollywood Beach Half Acre  Kernza Lager Half Acre Italian Pilsner Half Acre Daisy Cutter Fifteen Half Acre Daisy Cutter Select collaboration w/Sierra Nevada Half Acre Reef Knot Half Acre Pony Pilsner 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 World Beer Cup calls itself the “Olympics of Beer”. As the name implies, the World Beer Cup is open to breweries all over the world. This week on Barrel to Bottle, Roger tracked down  WBC 2024 winners that we carry from local and global breweries.  Horse Thief Hollow Little Wing Noon Whistle Bruski Traditional Lager Allagash Tripel Unibroue La Fin du Monde Weihenstephaner Vitus Old Irving Beezer Roaring Table Easy Hour Deschutes Black Butte Non-Alcoholic Hamm’s Beer 21st Amendment Brewery Amendment Lager 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.  

Porch Pounders, Gazebo Guzzlers, Barbecue Bangers…call them whatever you want, but make sure your patio is stocked for the summer months. Chris has assembled 18 wines that are perfect for relaxing in your Adirondack chair or pairing with your favorite summer meal. Biohof Pratsch Grüner Veltliner 2022 Domaine Labbe Abymes Vin de Savoie 2021 Suavia Soave Classico 2022 Nortico Alvarinho 2022 Champalou Vouvray 2022 August Kessler R Riesling QbA 2022 Domaine Meyer Fonné Edelzwicker 2022 Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Val de Garrigues Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2023 Lynfred Rhubarb Wine Gulp Hablo Orange Natural Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Domaine Collotte Marsannay Rosé 2023 Jean Foillard Beaujolais Villages 2021 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir 2022 Feudo Santa Tresa Frappato 2022 Lindquist Syrah 2020 Quivira Zinfandel 2019 The Fableist 373 Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 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 Insta

We love cocktails on Barrel to Bottle. We love classics, and we love riffs. We might love riffs more. This week, we’ve got three mixologists riffing on three classic cocktails for Greg and Jim to judge. Check out our blog for all the recipes.  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.  

Firestone Walker’s Matt Brynildson returns to Barrel to Bottle. He’s in Chicago to launch a collab with our friends at Half Acre for the annual Firestone Walker Invitational. You can hear all about that event on our previous episode with Matt Brynildson.   Matt loves returning to Chicago and we love having him on the podcast to share his extensive knowledge of brewing, particularly hops. There’s always something new to enjoy from Firestone Walker, but we appreciate revisiting some of their classics as well. Firestone Walker Trailing West Pils collaboration with Half Acre Firestone Walker California IPA Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion Firestone Walker Hopnosis Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA Firestone Walker Parabola 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. Rat

Ivo Jeramaz is the winemaker at Grgich Hills Estate. His uncle, Mike, started the winery shortly after his Chardonnay won the 1976 Paris Tasting for Chateau Montelena. Ivo passionately believes in regenerative farming of grapes, without the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. This week on Barrel to Bottle, Ivo explains the process of regenerative farming and why he believes it makes the best wine. Grgich Hills Sauvignon Blanc Fume Blanc 2021 Grgich Hills Chardonnay 2021 Grgich Hills Zinfandel 2019  Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 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.

Pat, our resident Crispy Boi, has spent the last half decade extolling the virtues of Hamm’s. When he’s not drinking Hamm’s, he’s still drinking crispy lagers both macro and micro. Now he’s getting the chance to redeem himself after his Hamm’s-related failure in our Macro Lager Blind Tasting. This week on Barrel to Bottle we’re blind tasting thirteen crispy bois, from big brewery lager classics to the new wave of craft crispies. And what better to pair with these crisp, refreshing beers than salty snacks, straight from your local Binny’s snack section. Montucky Cold Snacks Riggs American Lager Founders Solid Gold Shorts Local’s Light Miller High Life Revolution Cold Time Art History Krausened Pabst Blue Ribbon Bells Lager For the Lakes Deschutes Crispy King Coors Banquet Shiner Light Blonde Hamm’s Snack Along At Home: Binny’s Golf Club Mix Great Lakes Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips Herr’s Buffalo Blue Cheeze Curls Pop Daddy Beer Cheese Pretzels Utz Hoops Mix If you have a question for the Barrel to Bott

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 2023 Domaines Ott by Ott Cotes de Provence Rosé 2023 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rosé 2023 Hatziyiannis Roditis Rose Sierra Cantabria Rosé 2023 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.

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 Sancerre 2022 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis 2022 Punta Crena Mataossu Vigneto Reine 2021 Tsiakkas Xinisteri Cyprus White 2022 Hyland Estates Riesling 2022 Li Veli Askos Susumaniello 2022 Les Vins Pirouettes Ultra Violet de David 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 revi

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 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.  

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 2019 Broccardo Barolo Bricco San Pietro 2019 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.

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 Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Inglenook Rubicon 2018 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’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 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 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 listen 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 Virgin Chestnut Wood Cask #77557 Binny's Handpicked Teeling Single Pot Still finished in ex Ginger Beer Cask #79298 Binny's Handpicked Wilderness Trail Wheated Bourbon Single Barrel #771359 Binny's Handpicked Dark Arts Whiskey House Straight Bourbon Barely Legal Finished in ex Madeira Cask #MBL1 Binny's Handpicked Dark Arts Straight Rye Finished with Toasted Amburana Staves in Single ex Maple Syrup Barrel # RM1 Binny's Handpicked If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach

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 Hopewell Tankbeer Mount Saint Bernard Abbey Tynt Meadow Donna’s Pickle Beer Martin House Brewing Best Made Sour Pickle Beer Destihl Suckerpunch Dill Pickle Sour Evolucio Furmint 2022 Domaine Ostertag Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes 2021 Domaine Chevillon Bourgogne Rouge Passetoutgrains 2020 Domaine Bernard Fleuriet Sancerre Rouge Tradition 2020 Bodega Garzon Marselan Reserva 2020 Elena Walch Lagrein 2022 Koval Organic Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Jackfruit Barrels Binny’s Barrel to Bottle Handpicked Single Barrel Three Floyds Bubbl

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 Dunkel Goldfinger Dunkel Goldfinger Black Lager Köstritzer Schwarzbier  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.