You can find some great wines at Bin No. 51, but the shop, located at 200 S. Buchanan St., in Edwardsville, Ill., also has one of the best retail selections of whiskey in the area. Owner Brian Kuchta has decidedly thrown himself into the spirit of things with his newly launched liquor flights.
The first flights out of the Bin No. 51 crates are for bourbon and scotch. Flights, which change monthly, include four, 1.5-ounce pours plus a glass of ice-cold water, served on two-handled wooden tasting boards hand-crafted by Kuchta himself. A tasting booklet, that’s yours to keep, offers descriptions and ratings for each spirit. The current bourbon flight ($14) includes: 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, Johnny Drum Private Stock, Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel and Baker’s Small Batch Bourbon. The single malt Scotch whisky flight ($23) includes: Glen Grant 10-year, Dalmore 12-year, Caol Ila 12-year and Springbank 14-year.
If you like what you taste, any bottle in the flight can be yours at a discount of 10 percent. When you’re knocking 10 bucks off a $100 bottle of scotch, that’s not a bad deal at all. Moreover, the flights are available any time that the shop is open; no need to sign up for a class. Catering to the drinker’s whim? This could be dangerous.
Visit Bin No. 51 today from 4 to 8 p.m., and you can also partake in a free tasting of some newly stocked spirits that include: Knickerbocker gin by New Holland Artisan Spirits in Michigan; IDÔL vodka, a French vodka made from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes from Burgundy, France; Willett Pot Still Reserve bourbon whiskey, Bruichladdich The Laddie Ten 10-year single malt Scotch whisky; and Venezuelan rum Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva.
This article appears in March 2013.