HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), through its Limited-Release Lottery, will award lottery registrants the opportunity to purchase 1,896 bottles of rare whiskeys from the Pappy Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace Antique Collections.
Pennsylvania residents and licensees will have until 5 p.m. Friday to opt in to one or more of the lotteries and/or drawings by visiting the Limited-Release Lottery web page.
Two separate lotteries will be conducted for each of these limited-release whiskeys, according to PLCB. Participants may opt in to one or both of these lotteries and related drawings.
Lotteries will be held, in the following order, to award the right to purchase individual bottles as follows:
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2023 Release
The first lottery will feature 513 bottles from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Because these incredibly popular bourbons are aged for at least 15 years, annual production numbers cannot meet the customer demand.
Winning entries are limited to one bottle per participant, and if a participant wins a bottle in a drawing within this lottery, they will be removed from subsequent drawings in this lottery. Purchase is limited to one bottle per participant for the BTAC lottery.
The retail price for each 750 milliliter bottle in this collection is $124.99:
- Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey 18 Year Old – 16 bottles for individual consumers, five for licensees
- Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon 17 Year Old – 16 bottles for individual consumers, five for licensees
- William Larue Weller Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof – 57 bottles for individual consumers, 18 for licensees
- George T. Stagg Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof – 133 bottles for individual consumers, 44 for licensees
- Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Proof – 165 bottles for individual consumers, 54 for licensees
The Van Winkle Lottery
These 1,383 bottles of Kentucky whiskeys, produced by Pappy Van Winkle’s grandson using recipes dating back four generations, are among the most sought after in the world, according to PLCB.
Since 2002, Van Winkle bourbons have been produced at the Buffalo Trace distillery, enabling the Old Rip Van Winkle distillery the ability to increase production while still ensuring strict standards for quality. "Wine Enthusiast" magazine and the World Spirits Championship have rated the 20-year-old bourbon 99 out of 100.
Winning entries are limited to one bottle per participant, and if a participant wins a bottle in a drawing within this lottery, they will be removed from subsequent drawings in this lottery. Purchase is limited to one bottle per participant for the Van Winkle lottery. Drawings will be held, in the following order, to award the right to purchase individual bottles as follows:
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 23 Year Old 95 Proof, $399.99 each – 27 bottles for individual consumers, nine for licensees
- Van Winkle Family Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey 13 Year Old, $159.99 each – 52 bottles for individual consumers, 17 for licensees
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 15 Year Old 107 Proof, $149.99 each – 68 bottles for individual consumers, 22 for licensees
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 20 Year Old 90 Proof, $249.99 each – 81 bottles for individual consumers, 27 for licensees
- Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Straight Bourbon 10 Year Old 107 Proof, $89.99 each – 212 bottles for individual consumers, 70 for licensees
- Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon 12 Year Old 90 Proof, $99.99 each – 599 bottles for individual consumers, 199 for licensees
Both retail entrants and licensee entrants are encouraged to review the lottery Terms and Conditions before entering the Limited-Release Lotteries.
Individual consumers and licensees interested in entering one or more lotteries or drawings must have an active account with FWGS.com with billing information on file. Each participant is encouraged to verify that accurate, up-to-date billing information is associated with his or her customer account, to prevent transaction delays or cancellations.
Once the Limited-Release Lottery registration period closes, entrants will not be able to update their payment information. If someone is selected as a winner and the payment is declined for any reason, the entrant will forfeit their entry and the opportunity to purchase the bottle, as there will not be a second attempt to process the payment. Entrants are encouraged to review their account to verify that payment/billing information and the delivery location is accurate before entering the lottery.
Store delivery of Limited-Release Lottery products is required; failure to identify a valid store for delivery may result in the loss of the right to purchase that product. All lottery item(s) purchased will be delivered to the physical Fine Wine & Good Spirits (FW&GS) location chosen by the entrant at the time of entry.
Only individuals submitting eligible entries will be able to pick up their lottery purchases in their designated stores after presenting valid photo ID; bottles will not be released by stores to alternate pickup persons or anyone other than the lottery entrant. Winning entrants who fail to personally appear to pick up their lottery purchase(s) or who otherwise attempt to circumvent these requirements will be disqualified.
In light of attempts by previous lottery winners to illegally resell products obtained through Limited-Release Lotteries, the lottery Terms and Conditions remind residents that the sale of alcoholic beverages without a license is strictly prohibited under Pennsylvania law. When entering a Limited-Release Lottery, a participant will be asked to acknowledge that he or she has read and understands these terms and conditions.
Limited-Release Lotteries are open to Pennsylvania residents and licensees age 21 or older who provide both a verifiable Pennsylvania billing address and a FW&GS store address at registration. Any registrant with a billing address that cannot be verified as a Pennsylvania address will be removed from the lottery. Entries will be vetted for duplicative names, addresses and other information, and duplicates will be deleted from the lottery pool.
Lottery drawings will be witnessed by an independent third party. Winners will be selected at random by computer program. Participants will be notified by email when the lottery process is complete.
