By Chad Adams
The brown liquor gods giveth once again. The state of Kentucky, that beautiful, bluegrass-covered Commonwealth of limestone rock and clean, hard water, produces the finest brown liquor known to man. And now the powers that be are holding an auction, giving bourbon fans a shot at some truly rare breeds of Kentucky sour mash.
Team Kentucky’s Online Confiscated Bourbon Auction opens tomorrow, September 15. It marks the second-annual auction of bourbons confiscated by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), with the auction’s proceeds benefit boozing responsibility programs across the Commonwealth.
“This auction has raised nearly $10,000 to fund alcohol responsibility events for our youth,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “By repurposing these funds, we’re helping Kentucky high school graduates celebrate legally and responsibly in an alcohol-free environment and providing alcohol education at eleven Kentucky college campuses.”
Rare Kentucky Bourbon Up for Auction
Now here’s the good part. The inventory going to auction includes some rare, hard-to-get bottles of bourbon. Whiskey swiggers get another shot at five bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year, along with eight bottles of Blanton’s Single Barrel, with each letter included. E.H. Taylor, four-bottle sets of Weller, Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel, Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel, and Four Roses highlight a stacked list of top brands.
The full list puts a whole bunch of good pours up for grabs. In all, 70 bottles of bourbon go up for auction, which runs through Sept. 30, closing at midnight.
“We have some unique bottles of bourbon in our sale this year, and we are excited to offer these to Kentucky bourbon enthusiasts,” said ABC Commissioner Scotty Tracy. “We are proud of our partnerships including Project Graduation and the college campus initiative Responsible Alcohol and Substance Misuse Education (RASME), two important programs that provide alcohol education to Kentucky students.”
Kentucky won’t ship bottles to the winning bidders. So the hooch must be picked up in Frankfort on Oct. 2, 3 or 5, in conjunction with the capital city’s annual “Bourbon on the Banks” event.
FE Bourbon Prima Nocta Program
But don’t fret. FE staffer Chad Adams (me) lives right down the road. I can pick up your bourbon. I can’t promise how heavy the bourbon tax might be for the effort.
Kentucky pointed out this auction is possible thanks to a state law allowing products confiscated from closed criminal investigations conducted by the ABC to be auctioned. Bravo. The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife does the same thing, including firearms, on items seized from wildlife crimes. Now if we can just get the state of Kentucky to do the same with guns confiscated from municipal crimes, what a world that would be.
But we’re not holding our breath on that one. We will, however, enjoy a good pour if we’re lucky enough to place a winning bid.
