David Mekeel: A shot at buying a bottle of rare whiskey is up for grabs in a Pennsylvania lottery

Jan. 27—Frank Kumor first got a taste for bourbon whiskey when he was about 23.

He was pursuing his doctorate at the University of Kentucky at the time, so that shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

"I was in the motherland there for a while," the 52-year-old Kutztown University music professor said.

Kentucky is, indeed, ground zero for bourbon. According to the Kentucky Distillers' Association, about 95% of all bourbon is produced in the state.

Kumor didn't have a ton of cash to spend during his days on campus in Lexington. Fortunately, most of the decent local bourbons weren't all that expensive back then, he said.

Over the past three decades things sure have changed.

Not Kumor's love of bourbon, that has held strong. And as a percussionist, he's found quite a few kindred spirits.

"It may be surprising, but musicians like to drink whiskey," he said with a laugh.

But the amount of money Kumor and his pals have to dole out for a good bottle, that's definitely not the same. Because of increasing demand and a limited supply, bourbons that at one time he could get for $70 or $80 are now going for $500 to $1,000, or even much more, he said.

"It really has gotten out of whack a little," Kumor said.

That's why Kumor jumps at the chance to sign up each time the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board offers whiskeys in a limited-release lottery. The LCB have held about three or four limited-release lotteries for various products each year since 2015.

One of those lotteries is currently open, with whiskey enthusiasts and businesses with liquor licenses able to sign up at the state's Fine Wine & Good Spirits website until 5 p.m. Friday for a chance to purchase one of 1,208 rare bottles.

And they're really good ones.

The lottery is offering Pennsylvanians a chance to buy a bottle of one of five rare bourbons from Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery in Frankfort, Ky. Some of the varieties often can only be found on the secondary market priced in the thousands of dollars.

The LCB gets an annual allotment of the Rip Van Winkle whiskeys and holds a lottery once each year.

The following are the bourbons in this year's lottery:

— Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 23 Year Old — $399.99 each, 31 bottles available for individuals and 10 available for licensees.

— Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 20 year Old — $249.99 each, 70 bottles available for individuals and 23 available for licensees,

— Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 15 Year Old — $149.99 each, 59 bottles available for individuals and 19 available for licensees.

— Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Straight Bourbon 10 Year Old — $89.99 each, 211 bottles available for individuals and 70 available for licensees.

— Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon 12 Year Old — $99.99, 537 individuals available for individuals and 178 available for licensees.

"The prices are pretty reasonable, that's what makes it attractive," Kumor said of the lottery.

Kumor said he has won whiskey lotteries three times in the past, but not for Old Rip Van Winkle. The state usually holds a lottery of Old Rip Van Winkle bottles each year, and he said he's hoping this is his lucky time.

He's had the 23-year-old version before, and said it's well worth the price the state is charging.

"The overall flavor profile, to drink something that's 23 years old that has been resting is really special," he said, comparing it to a soup that is left to simmer for hours so the flavors blend and change.

It's not an everyday bourbon, not the kind he'd drink for his nightly cocktail. The regular stuff is fine for that.

"It wouldn't be a go-to whiskey," he said. "It's more of a special occasion thing."

Kumor said he has entered the lottery for each of the five bourbons being offered. Each individual can only win once, with their names being taken out of the running for the other varieties if they get picked to have a chance to purchase one.

Kumor said he's hoping for the best but added that not winning isn't the end of the world. After all, a lot of people are going to be vying for chance to buy the bourbons — the LCB says it expects entries to number in the tens of thousands for each product — and he knows it's probably very unlikely his name will be selected.

"If I don't win, it's not a crisis," he said. "It's just a nice opportunity to buy it for its natural value."

Limited-release lotteries are open to Pennsylvania residents and licensees age 21 or older who provide at registration a verifiable Pennsylvania billing address and a Fine Wine & Good Spirits store address where the bottle will be picked up.

Officials from the LCB stressed that the sale of alcoholic beverages without a license is strictly prohibited under Pennsylvania law, meaning anyone who wins a lottery and buys a bottle should not try to re-sell it if they are not licensed to do so.