Pappy Van Winkle heist may never be solved

Police have confirmed their belief that US$26,000 of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon was stolen in an inside job “heist” at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, but claim they may never find the bottles.

Police have admitted they may never recover $US26,000 of Pappy Van Winkle stolen in a suspected inside job

In October last year, 65 cases of 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle were found to be missing from the distillery after workers noticed a palette of the sought-after Bourbon had been “hollowed out”.

At the time, authorities and the distillery said they believed the theft was an inside job at the distillery.

Initial reports suggested police believed the crime was committed over the course of several months, but now claim the bottles were most likely taken as part of a large-scale heist involving at least two senior employees.

Speaking to WLKY, Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton said that he does not believe the stolen bottles will be recovered, despite an offer of US$100,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

“It’s just not in Kentucky. A few states away but I think it’s gone,” Melton told the news site. He also said he believes the heist took place during normal operating hours.

In November 2013, Kentucky principal Chris Pickett was named a person of interest in police investigations, but was later cleared of any wrong-doing.