HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced this week that Pennsylvania residents will have the chance to buy 425 bottles of rare whiskey through an upcoming Limited-Release Lottery.
Interested 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 at FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, the PLCB said.
Five separate lotteries, one of which will include multiple drawings, will be conducted for each of these limited-release whiskeys.
Participants may opt in to one, several, or all of these lotteries and drawings, the PLCB said.
Lotteries will be held, in the following order, to award the right to purchase individual bottles as follows:
1. Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2021 Release
The first lottery will feature the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
According to the distillery, this year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection features fewer bottles than in previous years due to quality issues. There will be no bottles of George T. Stagg Straight Bourbon released in 2021 “because the 15-year-old barrels do not meet the Distillery’s taste standards for the Stagg brand,” Buffalo Trace Distillery said in an Oct. 6 press release. “Unfortunately, this crop of barrels earmarked to be Stagg back when it was put in the barrel in 2006 did not meet the Stagg profile today.
"We discussed at great length how to proceed, and ultimately decided we did not feel right about lowering our standards or the age, by dipping into next year’s supply of barrels. We know fans will be disappointed, as are we, but we could not release a bourbon that we did not feel was up to par with the flavor profile expected of George T. Stagg.”
Because these incredibly popular bourbons are aged for at least 15 years, annual production numbers cannot meet the current demand for these products, the PLCB said.
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 the 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 $109.99:
- Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon 17 Year Old 101 Proof – 12 for individual consumers, three for licensees
- Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey 18 Year Old 90 Proof – 23 for individual consumers, seven for licensees
- William Larue Weller Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof – 68 for individual consumers, 22 for licensees
- Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Proof – 135 for individual consumers, 45 for licensees
2. Four Bourbon Lotteries
For these lotteries, participants have the opportunity to opt in to each independent lottery, which will have its own drawing. Participants may enter one, several, or all lotteries.
There's a limit of one bottle per winner from each lottery for purchase:
- Eagle Rare Double Eagle Very Rare Straight Bourbon 90 Proof, $1,999.99 – one for individual consumers
- Mister Sam Tribute Whiskey 133 Proof, $249.99 – 15 for individual consumers, four for licensees
- Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Warehouse C Straight Bourbon Botted in Bond 100 Proof, $69.99 – 23 for individual consumers, seven for licensees
- Old Forester Birthday Straight Bourbon 2020 98 Proof, $129.99 – 45 for individual consumers, 15 for licensees
Individual consumers and licensees interested in entering one or more lotteries or drawings must have an active account with FineWineAndGoodSpirits.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.
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. Every winner will be required to show valid photo identification at the store to claim the product.
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 Fine Wine & Good Spirits 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.
