(The Center Square) – If bourbon or other spirits are on your shopping list this Christmas season, the state of Kentucky may have a deal for you.
On Wednesday, the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control launched its first-ever auction of confiscated bottles from criminal cases the department’s investigators have closed.
Among the products available are two bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year bourbon that will be sold separately. The rare bourbon can cost $1,000 or more. A bottle of Eagle Rare 10 Year will also be up for bid as will four bottles of Blanton’s Single Barrel and a commemorative Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup bottle signed by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.
Another auction item is billed as a bar stocker package with various wines, vodkas, rums and whiskeys.
The online auction, posted at ABC.ky.gov, is allowed through House Bill 439, a bipartisan bill sponsored by state Rep. Matt Koch, R-Paris and signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear in April. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the AWARE Board, which provides grants to schools and colleges to promote responsibility awareness.
“We are proud to help finance educational programs that promote responsible alcohol use by adults and awareness programs for youth, including Project Prom and Project Graduation,” ABC Commissioner Allyson Taylor said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing the response to this auction and have started planning additional auctions for 2025.”
The auction is scheduled to end at midnight eastern time Dec. 11.
Those interested in participating must be 21 or older and show proof of age online before placing a bid. The state will not ship bottles to winning bidders. Instead, winners must pick up their items themselves either from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 or 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 14 in Frankfort.
