Liquor officials accused of hoarding rare bourbon

Bourbon aficionados have watched over the years as Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bourbon has become a highly coveted luxury item — a status symbol, one whiskey expert said, akin to a Rolex watch, a Ferrari or a Birkin bag. The version that has been barrel- aged for 23 years can sell for more than $ 5,000 a bottle on the secondary market.

So when an internal investigation, made public last week, found that top officials at the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission had used their positions to procure and purchase hard- to- find bottles of Pappy

Van Winkle, some bourbon connoisseurs said they were outraged but not surprised.

“Pappy has become a form of currency and power,” said Heather Greene, the chief executive of Milam & Greene, a Texas distillery, and the author of “Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life.”

The investigation found that six officials at the commission, which regulates alcoholic beverage sales in Oregon, had abused their positions by diverting bottles of Pappy Van Winkle and other liquor from a state warehouse so that they could buy them in stores. The liquor was intended for the public.

Commission officials paid market price for the bottles and either drank them or gave them as gifts, said Mark Pettinger, a commission spokesperson.

Steve Marks, the commission’s executive director, was among the officials, the report stated.

The commission makes rare bottles of liquor available to the public through a lottery called the Chance to Purchase program. In December’s drawing, 351 bottles were up for grabs, including five of Pappy Van Winkle’s 23- year bourbon. The commission said the chance of winning the right to buy one of those bottles was one in 4,150.

In a letter to commissioners dated Wednesday, Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon, a Democrat, asked that the commission install new leadership and remove the six officials. All remained employed by the commission, Pettinger said.