Rare Kentucky Bourbon Stolen From Facility, Police Suspect Inside Job
About 65 cases of rare Kentucky bourbon was swiped from a secure area at the Buffalo Trace Distillery’s facility in Frankfort, Kentucky, in what police believe may be an inside job.
The theft was reported on Tuesday and appears to have happened over the past couple of months, reports USA Today. While detectives are investigating, they have no suspects at this time.
Over the past few months, the thief, or thieves, took about $26,000 worth of 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon and 13-year-old Van Winkle Family Reserve rye.
Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton, who doesn’t drink bourbon but is well aware of the cost (and taste) of the alcohol, commented, “This is the mac daddy.” Pappy is one of America’s most sought-after bourbons and only about 7,000 cases are made per year at Buffalo Trace for the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery.
The bourbon is aged for 20 years, then bottled at 90.4 proof for what the distillery’s site calls a “wonderfully smooth and rich profile.” Investigators believe that the Kentucky bourbon theft may have been an inside job, notes Fox News. At least 50 employees have access to the area the Van Winkle was kept, though no suspects have been identified yet.
Melton added that there have been some earlier theft reports from Buffalo Trace, but not many. And likely, not this big either. Melton explained, “Their internal controls are pretty good, and that’s why it’s been very, very rare for it to happen.”
The alcohol in question retails for about $130 per bottle and is worth “$300 or $400 a bottle” on the secondary market. Chances are, the thieves either drank themselves silly or (more likely) tried to sell the stolen bourbon themselves.
[Image via ShutterStock]
