Nine Indicted in Massive Pappy Van Winkle Heist

Nine bourbon-bandits were indicted by a grand jury this week for their alleged involvement in stealing thousands of dollars worth of booze, including difficult-to-find Pappy Van Winkle and Wild Turkey. According to the Wall Street Journal, the thieves pilfered 18 barrels — which weigh 500 pounds each — from Kentucky distilleries since 2008. The most famous heist took place in 2013, where thieves walked away with $25,000 of Pappy. All together, the robbers stole more than $100,000 of whiskey.

The police note that they uncovered the theft ring after "receiving a tip about barrels in the back yard of a man named Toby Curtsinger." It appears Toby is a relative of ring-leader Gilbert Curtsinger, who was arrested in March after police found $30,000 of stolen Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels in his backyard. Detectives linked the bourbon found in Toby's backyard to an employee at Wild Turkey who worked on the loading dock. The authorities say they also recovered 20 cases of Pappy Van Winkle from Toby's property.

Whiskey theft is a somewhat common occurrence. In December, a gang of thieves tied up employees at Dublin spirits warehouse and then stole thousands of cases of alcohol, including 15,480 bottles of Jameson whiskey plus an unspecified number of bottles of Jack Daniels. Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey noted in a joint statement that "they are examining and adjusting their security protocols," adding that they are "fully cooperating with the investigation."