A state-run lottery in January will determine which lucky Pennsylvanians will get to buy from a selection of rare, limited-release whiskeys, some priced at $450 per bottle.
Up for grabs are 1,434 bottles of whiskey from the Van Winkle set, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and E.H. Taylor line, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced. Commonwealth residents and liquor license-holders have until 5 p.m. Jan. 16 to enter the contest.
The board will conduct a drawing for each of the different liquor collections, and registrants can sign up for as many of those lotteries as they wish. However, each household is limited to one entry for every drawing, and officials will eliminate duplicates, the announcement said.
The first drawing will pick the buyers of 324 bottles — each 750 milliliters in volume and priced at $149.99 — from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. This selection includes
- Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey 18 Year Old;
- Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon 17 Year Old;
- William Larue Weller Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof;
- George T. Stagg Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof; and
- Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Proof.
The second lottery will feature 1,062 bottles of Pappy Van Winkle whiskey, including
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 23 Year Old at $449.99 per bottle;
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 15 Year Old at $199.99 per bottle;
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 20 Year Old at $319.99 per bottle;
- Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Straight Bourbon 10 Year Old at $129.99 per bottle; and
- Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon 12 Year Old at $149.99 per bottle
The final lottery will include 48 bottles of Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. Straight Bourbon Limited Edition Bottled in Bond, each priced at $149.99.
The drawings are only open to Pennsylvania licensees and residents who are 21 or older.
Licensees and customers who want to enter the drawings must have an active account with Fine Wine and Good Spirits and choose a local store where they could pick up one of the limited-release bottles if they win, according to the board’s statement. The announcement also discouraged plans to re-sell the bottles, noting that it’s illegal to sell alcohol without the proper licensing.
A computer program will run the lotteries the week of Jan. 19, and officials hope to notify the winners by email “in the following weeks,” according to a Fine Wind and Good Spirits website. More information about the drawings is available at https//www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/limited-release-lottery.
