Score one for the good bourbon guys.
It generally isn’t easy to make five full sized barrels of aging bourbon disappear from a distillery (the mystery of the disappearing Pappy Van Winkle from a few years back aside). It was thus that an anonymous tip to Franklin County, Kentucky law officials led to the search of a home earlier this week and seizure of missing Wild Turkey whiskey.
The full barrels, valued at a maximum of $30,000, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, were found hanging out behind a shed at this home apparently. Franklin County Sheriff officials said found as well at the crime scene were “a quantity of anabolic steroids, Human Growth Hormone and drug paraphernalia. Numerous firearms, including one pistol and one rifle with sound suppressors, were also seized.”
Charged for being in possession of the stolen bourbon was one Gilbert T. Curtsinger, 45, of Frankfort, Kentucky. What’s strange to note about Curtsinger is that he works at Buffalo Trace. It isn’t unclear at this point how he got hold and moved around the roughly 500 pound barrels, noted the Courier-Journal, but it is believed there may be more people involved in the theft. Wild Turkey is working with law enforcement to determine what exactly happened.