Pappy Van Winkle makes bourbon so rare that Oregon state liquor officials colluded to hoard some of the best bottles for themselves. One bottle is 23 years old and is worth over $5,000. The question we're asking the officials who are under investigation...
The scheme was carried out by six commission officials, all of whom still remain part of the group. To start, they would request certain bottles from the state’s “safety stock,” meant to replace bottles that break in transit to restaurants, hotels or liquor stores. Those requested bottles would then be shipped to liquor stores, typically one near the commission’s office, where the officials were notified when the booze arrived.
“The fact that these high-level individuals have essentially been hoarding these bottles on the side is pretty offensive,” Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, the founder of an Oregon-based whiskey news site, told. Bourbon drinkers will wonder, “Is this system fixed? Will I ever actually get ahold of one of those bottles and see for myself if it’s worth the hype?”
Steve Marks, the executive director of the commission, was found to have been part of the scheme, although he maintained during the investigation that his actions had not violated Oregon’s ethics laws or state policy. Oregon’s governor, however, is seeking for those involved to be removed from the commission.Related Stories
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