UNDATED, Oct 20: The theft of dozens of cases of rare, high-quality bourbon worth more than 25,000 dollars from a local distillery appears to be an inside job, a Kentucky sheriff investigating the case, said.
Police in Frankfort, Kentucky, who learned on Tuesday of the robbery yesterday, said it was unlikely someone outside the Buffalo Trace Distillery operation could take 65 cases totaling 195 bottles of 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.
“Someone’s not going to grab 65 cases, load it up and go out the door,” said Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton, noting the theft took place since the last inventory two months ago.
“We think they took out two or three or four cases at a time,” he added.
Mark Brown, Buffalo Trace Distillery president and chief executive, said in an email he would not comment because the investigation was ongoing.
The theft came as the U.S. Bourbon industry and high-end makers of the distilled spirit in Kentucky and Tennessee have seen a rise in the whiskey’s popularity in recent years.
Melton said the theft of the high-quality whiskey had put a spotlight on the city of Frankfort, which is the state capital and has a population of about 28,000.
“I’ve worked a lot of things, but as far as something going viral like this … The whole town is buzzing,” the sheriff said. (AGENCIES)
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