There’s still no consensus on what’s more elusive: a unicorn or a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. With around 7,000 cases of the fine Kentucky bourbon made each year, snagging one from a liquor store can be a dream come true for many bourbon hunters. In some cases, it’s more like winning the jackpot.
Virginia is hosting a bottle lottery for residents who want to get their hands on the coveted liquor. Participants 21 and over can register with the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Authority (ABC) for the chance to purchase a bottle. Yes — that’s right. Pappy is in such high demand, the prize is not a bottle itself, but the opportunity to buy one.
Expressions range in price from $69.99 to $299.99, and there are more than 2,000 being sold. The bottles being offered are Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 Year, 20 Year, and 15 Year, Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year, and Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year bourbons. This year is also the first that the Virginia ABC is offering Old Rip Van Winkle 13 Year Rye.
There are six lotteries in total, with each spanning five days. The bottles will be up for grabs from March 18 to 22, and April 7 to 11. Some will be harder to score than others — there are only three bottles available of the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 Year, for example.
This lottery isn’t the first of its kind — Pennsylvania and Ohio have also hosted similar Pappy lotteries in the past. This time around, Virginians, we’re rooting for you.
