Big news for bourbon fans: The Ohio Department of Commerce has released details about its Ohio Bottle Lottery for Pappy Van Winkle and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
Pappy, owned by the Sazerac Company and distilled at Frankfort’s Buffalo Trace, is a cult favorite among enthusiasts and regarded as one of the best bourbons in the world. People freak out about Pappy and its small production numbers make it one of the most coveted bourbons in the world.
Annual bottle releases generally happen October through December. Prices start at $60 for a bottle of 10-year and go up to $250 for a bottle of 23-year Pappy — according to Fortune.com, the cost of a Pappy 23-year has increased 972.5 percent since 2010.
Long story short, it’s hard to get your hands on a bottle. So Ohio’s annual lottery tries to make it possible for more Ohioans to purchase some Pappy via a submission process. Note: The lottery is not a chance to win a free bottle but instead a chance to win the ability to buy one at one of the liquor agency’s state contracted stores. It’s that rare.
The lottery for the Pappy and Buffalo Trace Antique Collection begins at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 10 and runs through 11:59 p.m. Dec. 21. You can enter both lotteries online at www.com.ohio.gov/liqr/BottleLottery.
The lottery is limited to one entry per person. Winners will be notified in January and must purchase their bottle by Feb. 1, 2019 or forfeit their right to do so.
According to the agency, “Two separate submissions are not required to be considered for both lotteries. Additionally, if choosing both lotteries, entrants have a chance to win a product from both collections and will NOT be disqualified from one if chosen as a winner on the other. Entrants may enter with a paper ticket from a Contract Liquor Agency or solely online. Neither carry more weight than the other. All entrants will receive a six-digit ticket number upon submission.”
Products included in the lottery are:
Pappy Van Winkle Products
- Old Rip Van Winkle 10: $54.96
- Old Rip Van Winkle 12: $64.22
- Pappy Van Winkle 15: $91.98
- Pappy Van Winkle 20: $156.80
- Pappy Van Winkle 23: $249.38
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Products
- Eagle Rare 17: $99.99
- George T. Stagg: $99.99
- Sazerac Rye 18: $99.99
- Thomas H. Handy: $99.99
- William Larue Weller: $99.99
