The Whiskey Hotline: Scouring the World for Limited Rarities & Exclusive Handpicked Spirits

Located on the banks of the North Sea, less then 1500 feet from Sandend Bay is the Glenglassaugh distillery. Opened in 1873, the distillery has seen a series of ownership changes and mothballings over their century and a half of operation. Reopened in in 2008, they’ve built a reputation of releasing accessible but richly layered single malts with a signature coastal character all under the watchful eye of master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie. Their latest release continues the tradition. Matured for a full 15 years in indulgent Pedro Ximenez and Spanish wine casks, it’s the perfect expression as we welcome in cool autumn breezes. 

As one of the most well-known producers of scotch, Glenlivet has one of the most accessible lines of single malts on our shelves. They are masters of their crafts and when they innovate, we pay attention. Their latest is the second release from their ‘Beyond Speyside Series,’ the ‘Provence Edition.’ After full maturation, the whisky is finished in sweet French and Provence Cru Classe wine casks for additional depth of flavor. This is the perfect dram to toast the last days of summer. 

Light whiskey is seeing something of a renaissance. While the name can be confusing, light whiskey refers to whiskey that was distilled to over 160 proof, higher than legally allowed for bourbon and can also be matured in used American oak. Historically, these were used to fill out batches of blended whiskey and tended to have little more character than vodka. In the past several years, light whiskey has had its reputation salvaged through the release of well-aged, super expressive limited offerings from respected distilleries. With the rise of interest in the style, it was only a matter of time before we discovered a distiller focused solely on light whiskey. The Austin 101 distillery takes the same approach of French eau de vie, distilling the pure essence of the grain and removing some of the harsher flavor compounds that typically need extended maturation to soften. Using locally sourced Texas grain, we are excited to present the first four light whiskies from their lineup. While these are still young whiskies, the approach they are taking makes for a satisfying pour and we are excited to see the future of this young distillery. Selection varies by store, please contact your local Binny’s for availability. 

At the Whiskey Hotline, we believe that tasting spirits blind is one of the most valuable ways to determine items that stand above the rest. Tasting blind removes any brand loyalties or aversions and age or proof preferences.
 

This spring, we undertook a companywide blind bourbon tasting tournament to determine the best bourbon on our shelves without bias. Expert spirits staff from each of our 46 stores were brought together for a multiple round blind tasting that included 64 unique bourbons. The 64 bourbons were selected based on availability: everyday shelf items and limited items that are occasionally out of stock. The first round was performed four times, in four different regions clustered by surrounding groups of stores: 1) Central Illinois, 2) West Suburbs, 3) North Suburbs, 4) City of Chicago. Each region tasted 16 unique bottles, for a total of 64. Four bourbons from each region for a total of 16 moved on to the next round, where the top four bourbons were determined blind. The final round pitted the top four against each other, and the best bourbon on our shelves was determined by our teams through a truly blind tasting.

Located in the heart of Baltimore, Sagamore Spirits made their reputation on their award-winning rye whiskies. Known for resurrecting the pre-prohibition Maryland style rye (the sweeter, less aggressive counterpart to Pennsylvania rye) they've been quietly maturing their first ever bourbon. Constructed from a 2-grain mash bill consisting of 60% corn, 25% rye and 15% malted rye, their High Rye Bourbon is the perfect transition whiskey for the rye curious bourbon drinker or a enthusiast of excellent American whiskey. Matured for at least 6 years and bottled at a hearty 108 proof, this is a bold and spicy spirit that is perfect for fall sweater weather.

Larrikin has quickly become one of our favorite new purveyors of American whiskey. Never afraid to innovate, their range of whiskies is truly impressive. From finished beauties to boldly elegant bourbons, they do it all and they do it well. We've also enjoyed their light whiskey, spirit that has been distilled to a proof between 160 and 195 before entering the barrel, much higher than bourbon’s max pre-aging proof of 160. This leads to a cleaner spirit entering the barrel, allowing the rich toasty vanilla flavors from the oak to shine. We recently had the opportunity to choose two barrels of their light whiskey. When picking barrels, we pride ourselves on tasting everything blind, not knowing age, proof or any stats that might influence our decision. More often than not, we find beauty in balance and end up with barrels that may reach high proof, but are not above the 140-proof threshold to be considered Hazmat. That said, we were taken by the layered complexity of these two barrels that clocked in at over 140-proof. The yield on these barrels was low, please call your local Binny's for availability.

Located about 20 miles north of Louisville, the Starlight Distillery is part of the 7-generation strong Huber Orchard and Winery, southern Indiana’s premier agritourism destination. Known for their wines and brandies made from fruit grown on site, the Huber family successfully lobbied the state government to allow farm distilleries to produce spirits from grain, leading to the industry changing Artisan Distiller’s Permit Law in 2013. Their latest offering is their Sakura Reserve. For this release, they finished their mature bourbon in Japanese Sakura cherry casks. This wood regimen accentuates their already stone fruit forward whiskey into a truly incredible pour. Bottled at a robust 118 proof, this is an extremely limited release, so reach out to your local Binny's for availability.

Since their founding in 2011, Laws Whiskey House has been making the finest Colorado whiskey they can while taking no shortcuts. Known for grain forward spirits, they start with heirloom varieties of corn, rye, barley and wheat grown for them by two local family farms. These grains are then turned into a wide variety of styles of whiskey, which are distilled, aged and bottled in Colorado. Their latest release is their San Luis 10-year-old bottled in bond rye. Sourced from just 8 barrels, this is not only the oldest rye they've released, it's also from some of the last stocks of their 95% rye/ 5% malted barley mash bill. They've since moved on to a 100% rye mash bill, so grab some today to taste a piece of Colorado whiskey history. Limited, please contact your local Binny's for availability.

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, the Virginia Distillery Company has made their reputation on producing world class single malt whiskey. Mirroring the production methods of single malts of Scotland, Virginia Distillery does things right, utilizing a mash bill of 100% malted barley, off grain fermentation, double pot still distillation and maturation in used wood. Their latest is their first Cigar Blend, and follows the tradition of the style, blending together their malt whiskey aged in casks of heavily flavored spirits and wines with the goal of creating a whiskey that can stand up to the intense of flavors of cigar smoke. Aged for a minimum of 7 years in Spanish Oak, Sherry, Port, Chateau Palmer Cabernet, Armagnac, Cognac, and Fino casks with just a splash of Islay influence for some smoky intrigue.