Tell Your Pappy Van Winkle Story

The Pappy rush is over.

If you didn't get any you're probably SOL. But...there's always next year -- and other damn good bourbons.

So here's what I'd like to do. What I'd like to ask you.

How Did You Find Pappy?

If you got IT, will you tell us your story -- your "how I hunted down Pappy Van Winkle" adventure?

Maybe, just maybe, it will help those who did not get it this year -- find some next year.

I am hard at work on my "how I am changing my Pappy finding strategy" post, but for now, I think it would be helpful and quite unselfish by the finders to tell us how you found the holy grail of bourbon.

Lucky or Did You Have a Strategy?

Did you just get lucky? Or did you have an intentional strategy for finding the best bourbon in the World.

I called my favorite place, my secret place, where I buy about 80% of my bourbon and liquor -- mostly bourbon and got on the list.

Three of four years I have gotten it here. Two years it was only 12, but one year, the best -- the 20 year.

A Great Pappy Story

Here is one story shared on my Facebook feed and it is a classic "I was out-of-town and I walked in this little liquor store and I swear to God -- no shit -- I found not only Pappy 12 year -- but also Stagg."

WTH?  No this really does happen in America in 2014.

Unless of course this guy is only a fiction writer, but you know what I believe him.

Somewhere...on a Shelf...There is PVW

I believe somewhere -- even tonight -- there is a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle sitting on the shelf of some out-of-the-way liquor store just waiting for a Pappy hunter to discover.

Trust me I've pulled in my fair share of off-the-beaten-path liquor stores and found NOTHING.

But, I still have hope and continue to do so -- just in case.

Tell Us Your Story

So -- PLEASE -- tell us your story.

So far this is the best one I've gotten:

So here is David Grant's story. Enjoy and send me yours.

After two unsuccessful years searching for the elusive bottle I finally found one in Buffalo, NY this year. It started when we traveled to Buffalo for Christmas to visit my in laws. The hotel we stayed at had both Pappy 10 & Pappy 15 at their bar. When I spotted these I decided to treat myself to a glass of some 15 for Christmas Eve. It was fantastic. My gears started turning and I began to wonder when Pappy was released in NY. The day after Christmas my wife and I went to visit her childhood friend at a hospital in Buffalo. Along the way I popped into a few liquor stores and asked the question I had asked so many times before. No luck. We pulled up to the hospital and I spotted a small liquor store about a half a block away. I passed the hospital and pulled into the liquor store for one last try. To my surprise this hidden gem not only had a bottle of Van Winkle 12, but also a bottle of George T Stagg...Priced only a hair above retail!

Enjoy the Chase!