Pennsylvania liquor lottery offering chance at one of more than 1,200 rare whisky bottles

Five batches of limited-release Pappy Van Winkle bourbons are up for grabs to state residents in the drawings

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will hold five lotteries encompassing 1,208 bottles of rare, limited-release Van Winkle bourbon whiskey.
Source/Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

Pennsylvania residents and liquor license holders soon will have an opportunity to get their hands on some rare, limited-release Pappy Van Winkle bourbon whiskey bottles from Kentucky's Buffalo Trace distillery.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will hold five, limited-release lotteries encompassing 1,208 bottles of the rare bourbon whiskey. Winners will earn the chance to purchase the highly-sought after alcohol.

Pennsylvania residents and licensees ages 21 and up will be able to enter each of the drawings until 5 p.m. Friday. The lotteries will be held the week of Feb. 7. All winning and non-winning entries will be notified by email over the following weeks.

Whiskey drinkers who are interested in participating in the sweepstakes must have an active account with Fine Wine & Good Spirits. Registrants must provide a verifiable Pennsylvania billing address and identify a Fine Wine & Good Spirits store for delivery when signing up. Store delivery is required, and a valid photo ID must be shown when picking up the winning bottle.

Resale of any products won in the lotteries is prohibited under the terms of entry and violations will result in disqualification from future drawings, according to the PLCB.

Participants are permitted to enter into one, several or all of the lotteries. During the first four drawings, if a participant wins a bottle, they will be removed from the subsequent drawings. Purchase is limited to one bottle per participant and winners will be selected randomly.

These rare bourbon whiskeys are among the most popular in the world and are produced by Pappy Van Winkle's grandson, using recipes dating back four generations. Pappy Van Winkle bourbons have been produced at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky since 2002.

Here's a look at what's available in each of the five drawings:

• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 23 Year Old 95 Proof
$399.99 each – 31 bottles for consumers, 10 bottles for licensees
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 15 Year Old 107 Proof
$149.99 each – 59 bottles for consumers, 19 bottles for licensees 
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 20 Year Old 90 Proof
$249.99 each – 70 bottles for consumers, 23 bottles for licensees
• Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Straight Bourbon 10 Year Old 107 Proof
$89.99 each – 211 bottles for consumers, 70 bottles for licensees
• Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon 12 Year Old 90 Proof
$99.99 each – 537 bottles for consumers, 178 bottles for licensees

This year's collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon whiskey includes fewer bottles of the 10, 12 and 15-year-old products than in previous lotteries due to anticipated barrel yields. 

There's no release of the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Straight Rye 13 Year Old, but quantities of the 20 and 23-year-old products are up. The 20-Year-Old bourbon whiskey received a scored of 99 out of 100 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and the World Spirits Championship.