A couple of follow-ups

October 5, 3:39 PMChicago Drinks ExaminerCharles Cowdery

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It sorely pained me, in my 'Chicago's Best' post, to pick Binny's over Sam's, because I love Sam's and Sam's was 'there' with American whiskey long before Binny's, which only caught up by hiring Sam's whiskey buyer.

On my way to Binny's Jefferson Street store yesterday, I drove past Sam's South Loop store, and noticed another plus for Sam's. They share their South Loop space with a Potbelly sub sandwich shop. I love Potbelly and was a long-time fan of the original Lincoln Park location of that now broadly distributed chain.

But, here again, Sam's falls just a little short because the Binny's on Jefferson Street is right across the street from Manny's Deli, one of Chicago's greatest institutions. When a friend from Michigan wrote to say he was making a Binny's run (to get one of the KBD Willet's bottlings) and would I like to meet up, I suggested lunch at Manny's to make it a slam dunk.

The other follow-up is to Friday's post about the new Canadian Club 30-year-old. Binny's doesn't have it yet, which tells me it hasn't rolled out yet in Chicago. It's obviously being released for the fall holiday gift season, so I expect it will show up soon. Considering the price ($175-$199), it probably will be in the locked room where Binny's Jefferson Street keeps its rare and collectible spirits. They do a good job of keeping the glass clean of drool marks.

The Binny's on Clark Street is convenient to me, so that is where I usually go, but the Jefferson Street location is worth the literal extra mile, and not just for its proximity to Manny's (and it's really right across the street). The selection is vast, the store is very attractive and pleasant to shop, and it has a full bar, even though they call it a "tasting room."