Few of us have ever seen a bottle of the elusive Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, let alone tasted it. There are waiting lists for the exclusive bourbon, and demand is so high that you’ll likely never be able to score a bottle without some serious connections. Things surrounding the hyped up bourbon have gotten so out of hand that Ohio has created a lottery system to level the playing field.
The Toledo Blade reports that this is how the lottery will work. Ohio residents can go to any state liquor agency and obtain a ticket until November 17th. Each ticket has a unique number that must be registered by the end of the day on November 17th. Lucky winners will receive a notification in early December, and will have until December 18th to purchase their specific bottle. If the bottle isn’t purchased by then, the bottle becomes available to the public on a first come first serve basis.
According to the Toledo Blade, this is the second time Ohio has had a lottery for Pappy Van Winkle. The first lottery drew more than 8,000 people.
“This is a very highly sought-after bourbon,” Lindsey LeBerth, the spokeswoman for Ohio’s division of liquor control, told the Toledo Blade. “Small allocations are given to each state, so it’s even more highly sought-after because it’s such a small amount we get.” According to LeBerth, the shipment is expected to include 10, 12, 15, 20, and 23-year-old bottles.
Pappy Van Winkle is a unique, special bourbon for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the distillery only produces about 8,000 barrels annually, in contrast to the millions of barrels other distilleries churn out. In addition to its reputation, the limited supply and incredibly high demand are part of what makes this bourbon so expensive. But for the true believers, no cost is too high.
