Historic Whiskey Could Go Down Drain

AP via SFGate ^ | 11/15/7 | JOE EDWARDS, Associated Press Writer

[SmithL]

Nashville, Tenn. (AP) -- Here's a sobering thought: Hundreds of bottles of Jack Daniel's whiskey, some of it almost 100 years old, may be unceremoniously poured down a drain because authorities suspect it was being sold by someone without a license.

Officials seized 2,400 bottles late last month during warehouse raids in Nashville and Lynchburg, the southern Tennessee town where the whiskey is distilled.

"Punish the person, not the whiskey," said an outraged Kyle MacDonald, 28, a Jack Daniel's drinker from British Columbia who promotes the whiskey on his blog. "Jack never did anything wrong, and the whiskey itself is innocent."

Investigators are also looking into whether some of the bottles had been stolen from the distillery. No one has been arrested.

Authorities are still determining how much of the liquor will be disposed of, and how much can be sold at auction.

Tennessee law requires officials to destroy whiskey that cannot be sold legally in the state, such as bottles designed for sale overseas and those with broken seals.

"We'd pour it out," said Danielle Elks, executive director of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

The estimated value of the liquor is $1 million, possibly driven up by the value of the antique bottles, which range from 3-liter bottles to half-pints.

One seized bottle dates to 1914, with its seal unbroken. Elks said it is worth $10,000 on the collectors market. Investigators are looking into whether the liquor was being sold for the value of the bottles rather than the whiskey.

[SmithL]

I don't cry often, but . . .

[normy]

The governor needs to grant a stay of execution.

In all seriousness, this is bullshit.

[RosieCotton]

Alcohol abuse!

[Seeking the truth]

Come on ...get creative here.

Hold an auction for it....for some charity or state program.

Folks will pay a lot for this old Bourbon.

[papasmurf]

...and here I sit,
listening to old soul,
and drinking young whiskey,
now I’m out, Oh Shiit!

[papasmurf]

I wish I had said that. LOL

[Hunterite]

http://www.rootsweb.com/~flhamilt/US_flag_half_mast_md_wht_2079.gif

:(

[tacticalogic]

Keep the whiskey. Pour the bureaucrats down the drain.

[Ditto]

I asked a US Customs guy what they did with the Cuban cigars they confiscate.

He told me with a wink... "We burn them... one at a time."

[NonValueAdded]

Do they mind if we pass it through our kidneys first?

[SmithL]

Bourbon?

There is no Bourbon made in Tennessee!

Now, go wash your mouth out with some fine Tennessee sippin' whiskey, and don't ever do that again.

[Holicheese]

Will these horrors never STOP!!!!

[Daffynition]

"We'd pour it out,"

Sponges or straws should make a nice recovery mission.

Are these people nutz?

[Brian Mosely]

I know ... I know... the Lynchburg stash was just 10 minutes down the road from my home. Not surprising though.

[normy]

while they are at it could they change the name of the town? Its offensive./s

[theDentist]

SO, you guys are constantly screaming for money. Sell it.

[Deguello]

How did they survive Prohibition?

[JamesP81]

Folks will pay a lot for this old Bourbon.

Except it's not Bourbon. If it ain't made in Kentucky, it ain't Bourbon.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

“”Punish the person, not the whiskey,” “

Profound!

[Noumenon]

Time for Bush to release the sour mash reserve!