Utahns will get a second shot to buy hard-to-get Pappy Van Winkle bourbons.
The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced Tuesday that it has received two more bottles of the company’s highly prized 23-year-aged spirit.
Consumers who want a chance to buy one of the 750 milliliter bottles — for $299.99 each — have one week to enter the rare high-demand drawing at the website abc.utah.gov.
In addition to the Pappy Van Winkle, two other rare spirits are part of the drawing. The state is selling nine bottles of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon for $99.99 each and 22 bottles of Elmer T. Lee 100th Bourbon for $105.15 apiece.
In 2019, Utah received 183 bottles of Pappy Van Winkle products and more than 16,000 residents entered the drawing for a chance to buy one.
Because of the limited availability, the spirits typically have a huge markup in other states and online. But, in Utah, the price is much less. It’s one instance when the state’s legislatively mandated 88% liquor markup works in favor of consumers.
Kathy Stephenson covers food, dining, alcohol policy and features. A Utah native and University of Utah graduate, she has been a reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune for more than 30 years.