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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 by side: Bollig Lehnert Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese from 2018 and 2006. Also Paul Anheuser Keuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Auslese 2001. And it's not all about white! Germany also makes great red wines, and the team tastes Heyden Pinot Noir 2016. These guys are fun!

When it comes to imperial stout, we see a lot of pastry stouts these days. This category includes stouts modeled after all manner of desserts, and we’ve seen everything from cookies to whole chocolate cakes dumped into beer. When we approached Brickstone about doing a collaborative brew, we wanted to go back to basics. Their Dark Secret imperial stout is proof that an imperial stout can be dessert like and decadent, without being overly sweet.

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 peated and unpeated Scotch, aged in Rum barrels. Plus, Ian and the team revisit the legendary Annasach Reserve 25 Year blend.

Let's answer the question you're asking yourself. What distinguishes gelato from ice cream is the following: more egg yolks, less cream/more milk, and definitely less air churned into it than ice cream. The key to expressing that dense and creamy note is dry ice. Dry ice is not only cold enough to solidify the base. What's more, (unlike regular ice) dry ice sublimes into a gas, leaving nothing to dilute gelato's intensity of flavors. A word of caution: avoid touching the dry ice with your bare hands.

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 Lager, Oatmeal Stout, Organic Chocolate Stout, and Apple and Perry Ciders. Stick around for the Q&A segment, when the team answers your question about gluten free and reduced beers.

Crème brûlée is not simply about intensely satisfying vanilla notes. The joy of crème brûlée is tasting the contrasts - the hot/savory note of burnt sugar and the cool/sweet interior, and above all the the audible crack of its hard shell giving way to the luxuriantly velvet-textured custard underneath. The key is to take the time necessary to form the shell. Keep the tip of the flame in constant motion by sweeping the tip back and forth across the surface in quick, even passes. Two or three quick and even sweeps is better than a slow single pass - lingering too long in one place will leave a scorched surface.

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 Classico Riserva, Ilatraia and Il Blu. And stick around for the Q&A segment, when the team answers your question about Bordeaux futures.

Its origins are lost in lore. Some argue that a hotelier deserves the credit for tossing all the ingredients together for a guest, while the guest's descendents argue that it was their forefather who came up with the recipe. What is NOT up for debate is that the Reuben is one of the greatest sandwiches ever conceived. The key to the recipe is allowing yourself to indulge - allow yourself the butter, and allow yourself as much dressing as you would like. After a night of St. Patty's Day revelry, you deserve and need it!

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 Sherry Wood - plus multiple years from their limited Peat Week and Garryana releases. Stick around for the Q&A segment, when the team answers your question for a $20 Binny's gift card. This week, it's all about grain whiskey.