In Praise of Big Bin Stores Part II - Binny's

Establishment	Binny's Beverage Depot
Address	213 W. Grand Avenue Chicago, IL 60610 312 332-0012 www.binnys.com
Type	Big Bin Store
Hours	Mon-Fri 8:00 am-9:00 pm Sat 9:00 am-9:00 pm Sun 11:00 am-6:00 pm

A review of Chicagoland big bin stores would not be complete without a look at Sam's competitor, Binny's Beverage Depot. On Monday, CA Scotch Chick made the ten block trek to check it out. Since this branch of Binny's is just barely within walking distance of the Chicago downtown hotels, Monday was not CA Scotch Chick's first trip to visit its single malt whisky aisle. She had scooped up many a Highland Park 12 for a host/hostess gift during trips past.

She had not, however, really studied the selection. Binny's offerings are just as extensive as Sam's but are also quite different. It is difficult to determine who has a greater quantity because Binny's single malt whiskys take up an entire side of a really long aisle, whereas Sam's takes up two sides of a shorter aisle, but CA Scotch Chick would have to give the edge to Binny's. Moreover, Binny's ridiculously expensive collection is far greater with far pricier offerings. Turns out CA Scotch Chick could drop $4499.99 for a bottle of the Macallan 56 year should she ever discover that she is heir to some fortune.

While CA Scotch Chick did note Signatory, Gordon & MacPhail, and Murray McDavid on the shelves, where Sam's focuses on Independent Bottlings (IB's), Binny's focuses on Original Distillery Bottlings (OB's). There were far more varieties of the OB's than CA Scotch Chick had seen anywhere. There were at least five types of Bruichladdich, although interestingly enough no Yellow Submarine. And, CA Scotch Chick saw some old special friends from tasting flights, such as the Bruichladdich 20 Flirtation, and some single malts she wished to make friends with, such as the Springbank 21. 

One other point in Binny's favor, the prices were better than at Sam's. For example, CA Scotch Gent noted at Sam's that the Glenlivet 18 he likes, for which he pays 45 dollars at Costco, was 72 dollars. Binny's had it for 69 - only a three dollar difference, but that difference was pretty much across the board. 

Moreover, if one is a Springbank fan, it is worth making a quick trip to Binny's. The price of Springbank "mysteriously" jumped by almost 30 dollars a few months back when they announced that they would be closing down for a while. Both Sam's and CA Scotch Chix local Bevmo are selling at the new price. Binny's has both the 10 and the 15 at old prices. That difference was significant enough to make CA Scotch Chick consider checking luggage to carry some home (CA Scotch Chick never checks luggage). 

Binny's club card benefits are not as good for a single malt whisky drinker as either Sam's or Bevmo's. They will send a coupon for 2 percent off if one spends 250 dollars on wine. 

The staff at Binny's was quite helpful, although nobody offered CA Scotch Chick samples of the wares - a definitely plus in Sam's favor. Of course, CA Scotch Chick was at Binny's at 11:00 am on a Monday morning, which may have had something to do with it.

Overall both Sam's and Binny's are excellent big bin stores, and CA Scotch Chick cannot help but be just a little bit jealous. Loyal Scotch Chix Fans in Chicago are truly lucky.