Missing bourbon: What happened when we asked for Kentucky’s vintage spirits records

Janet Patton
·3 min read
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When Kentucky’s General Assembly made it legal for individuals to sell bourbon to stores, restaurants and bars, the rules were simple.

The regulations outline who can sell, who can buy and what they have to tell the state about it. But they left a gray area about what counts as vintage: Anything “not readily available” from a Kentucky wholesaler is allowed.

The Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is supposed to receive written notice prior to vintage distilled spirits sales of each purchase.

The Herald-Leader wanted to see what was being purchased under the law and in January filed an open-records request for the notifications.

The Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet repeatedly provided incomplete records, leaving off one large purchaser — Revival Vintage Spirits — entirely and omitting more than 6,000 bottles from the records originally provided.

Revival Spirits in Covington, Ky., is small but has been among the largest liquor stores buying and selling under the Kentucky Vintage Distilled Spirits law. All of the purchases by Revival — more than 5,000 bottles — were left out of the original data supplied by Kentucky ABC under an open records request, as were 1,000 additional bottles bought by other stores.

According to the ABC, it was just a mistake that happened in transferring a file.

“Records submitted to the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) are regularly monitored, but they are not the sole basis for starting an investigation. Many investigations arise from complaints. While an error was made in transferring the complete file of records for the open records request, it in no way reflects on the abilities or commitment of the men and women of ABC who work diligently to support all members of the industry and investigate complaints related to alcohol, vapes, tobacco, and black market (unlicensed) trafficking in alcohol,” ABC said in a statement.

The state now says all records have been provided but purchase records reported by Justins’ House of Bourbon, which is under investigation, stop in 2019. An attorney for Justins’ House of Bourbon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether or not the retailer submitted purchases.

ABC also says that purchases of “non-vintage” spirits are considered illegal. ABC commissioner Allyson Taylor said that the department is conducting several extensive investigations into alcohol sales under the vintage law. None are yet complete, she said; the state is exempt from providing information involved in open investigations.

Weller, available as an allocated release on a morning in February at Buffalo Trace, was the brand of bourbon most commonly sold under Kentucky Vintage Spirits law, even though it isn’t vintage.
Weller, available as an allocated release on a morning in February at Buffalo Trace, was the brand of bourbon most commonly sold under Kentucky Vintage Spirits law, even though it isn’t vintage.

According to the state, ABC tracks vintage sales. But apparently the state did not have a database of purchases. The Herald-Leader created one based on records provided; here’s what was found:

▪ More than 1,150 purchases from January 2018 through March 2023.

▪ About 50 licensed entities (bars, restaurants, liquor retailers, festivals and events) reported purchases.

▪ At least 14,213 bottles changed hands. The most common brands sold were Blanton’s (about 2,000 bottles) and Weller (more than 2,400 bottles), accounting for more than 31 percent of all reported sales, but there were also many vintage bottles such as Jim Beam decanter sets and Pre-Prohibition whiskeys.

Drinks from different years of Blanton’s bourbon releases are available for sampling at Revival.
Drinks from different years of Blanton’s bourbon releases are available for sampling at Revival.
Brad Bonds, of Revival Spirits in Covington, Ky., holds a vintage bottle of bourbon Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Revival buys vintage bourbons and other spirits unavailable elsewhere then sells by the drink, or by the bottle. Customers can taste a 40-year-old bourbon for $5.
Brad Bonds, of Revival Spirits in Covington, Ky., holds a vintage bottle of bourbon Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Revival buys vintage bourbons and other spirits unavailable elsewhere then sells by the drink, or by the bottle. Customers can taste a 40-year-old bourbon for $5.

▪ While there were hundreds of individual sellers, the Top 25 accounted for 36 percent of all sales.

The regulations say that private citizens are only allowed to sell 24 bottles or less in 12 months.

Taylor said in an interview with the Herald-Leader that selling more than that is allowed if the seller is a fiduciary, such as the executor of an estate; is a creditor who seizes assets; or meets other official requirements set out in the statute.

Many people were frequently selling far more than 24 bottles, according to the sales records.

One man, for instance, sold to Bourbon Creek in Fayette Mall 13 times between Oct. 29, 2021 and July 8, 2022, more than 600 bottles.

“If they are having more than 24 and don’t have one of those exceptions, that would be a violation of Kentucky alcohol law,” Taylor said.

The seller did not respond to attempts to contact him for comment.