4-Shot Friday – Pappy Club Weekly – October 13, 2017

Happy Friday!

The big news in “Pappy Land” this week was the arrest of a Pappy counterfeiter in NYC. He admitted to refilling old bottles of the sacred juice with something other than the real thing. Now, if you collect rare Bourbons or buy Pappy anywhere other than the liquor store, you know this is not a big surprise. It’s been going on for awhile.

Apparently, Buffalo Trace has invested $500k to catch these whiskey bandits. And that’s a good thing. The fake stuff needs to be removed so Bourbon collectors know that what they’re getting in the secondary market is legit.

Buffalo Trace released this statement:

“Avoid buying any bourbon or whiskey, especially the highly sought after ones, from anyone in the secondary market, which includes online private sellers, or in these social media groups that claim to offer genuine products. The only legal and reputable source you should be buying from is a licensed retailer.”

But as most of us know, some of the so-called reputable liquor stores are gouging more than the secondary sellers. And even then you still have to find it!!!

So, the chances of no Bourbon lover trying to find the rare stuff beyond the liquor stores is about as likely as Kim Jong Un waking up tomorrow and dismantling his nuclear program.

The Alternative

The realistic way forward is for Bourbon buyers to know their shit, meaning — do your homework, vet sellers, and get references if you do decide to buy from a private individual.

Here are a few tips for being smart about it:

• Work with people you know or who have many impeccable references.
• Ask if they bought it and view the receipt.
• Find the laser code, which is on the side of real bottles of Pappy. (There are exceptions, but see “Shot One” below for details.)
• Pay attention to the cap. If a real bottle is refilled the cap will probably look funky. Why? Instead of an expensive bottling machine doing the job some dude used a blow dryer in his garage and the cap is wrinkled, crooked or somehow out of whack.
• Be suspicious about low-ball prices. You ain’t getting PVW 23 for $1000 or even $1500 unless you find it in a store at retail or the seller is really, really desperate.

New York, New York

We have added a list of all the stores in NYC that get Pappy or Old Rip Van Winkle. You can view it here. (Just scroll to the state.)

Look for more as we get the info. Let us know your state and we’ll prioritize those. This info is “members-only” so please don’t share it or it could hinder our ability to get more in the future.

Also don’t forget, we have two giveaways left — Pappy 15 in October and Pappy 20 Year on January 1, 2018. So let me know how you want to divide your entries. (New members can put all 100 or 200 on one drawing or divide them between the two.)

This Week’s 4 Shots

Pappy, Laser Codes and Conspiracy Theories

Admittedly, this is probably the most sensationalized titles I’ve used for a post on Bourbonr but there’s a reason. With the Pappy Van Winkle release in full swing there have been multiple Bourbonr’s that noticed the laser code on their bottles were 2013. In fact, there have been several states releases composed only of laser codes reflecting 2013. This led to speculations and accusations of Pappy hoarding (a felony in the bourbon world) aimed at retailers, distributors and Buffalo Trace (BT) themselves. Questions began to fly! Was Illuminati involved? Does Skull & Bones control the Pappy distribution? Did Dick Cheney have anything to do with this? All valid (sarcasm) questions so I decided to hunt for answers.

BOURBON TAKES 2018 WHISKY BIBLE CROWN

A Bourbon with a four-grain mash bill has taken the World Whisky of the Year title in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2018, with Glen Grant Aged 18 Years Rare Edition retaining a place in the top three.

Colonel EH Taylor Four Grain Bottled in Bond Aged 12 Years, praised for its ‘sheer undiluted beauty’, topped the pecking order in the influential guide, published today.

Michter’s Announces First Bottling of 25 Year Bourbon Since 2008