Jack Daniel’s down the drain

[7/4]

I used to love that stuff.

Sobering thought: Whiskey may be tossed

'A lot of these bottles are priceless,' claims spirits connoisseur

The Associated Press

updated 6:14 p.m. ET, Thurs., Nov. 15, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - 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.

“Someone was making a great deal of profit,” she said.

Tennessee whiskeys age in charred white oak barrels, but the maturing process that gives them character mostly stops when it is bottled. A bottled whiskey can deteriorate over a long period of time, especially if it is opened or exposed to sunlight and heat.

Christopher Carlsson, a spirits connoisseur and collector in Rochester, N.Y., said old vintages of whiskey in their original containers are highly prized.

“A lot of these bottles are priceless,” he said. “It’s like having a rare painting. It’s heavily collected.”

The raids, prompted by a tip, were conducted at two warehouses and a home in Lynchburg, about 65 miles southeast of Nashville. Another raid was at a Nashville hotel room where drinks were being served and bottles were being sold.

For now, the whiskey is being stored in a Nashville vault.

Elks acknowledged that pouring out the whiskey would not be a happy hour for her.

“It’d kill me,” she said.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Jazzmoose]

Same here, but I can't stand it now.

[Randy Twizzle]

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.”

He sounds like a whiskey rights advocate.

[alocispepraluger102]

no sweeter music

[AndrewHill]

Not a whiskey drinker, but what a shame if they end up pouring it out.

[Free For All]

Jack has been the gracious host of many a past "lost weekend".

[alocispepraluger102]

Jack has been the gracious host of many a past "lost weekend".

so eloquently stated.

Edited November 17, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[Chuck Nessa]

It all eventually goes down the drain.

[alocispepraluger102]

It all eventually goes down the drain.

and has flushed thousands of lives and marriages, but it's so damn good.

[7/4]

Same here, but I can't stand it now.

Last time I had it, it was kinda sweet for me. I'm not drinking now, but I saw the story on CNN this morning and those old bottles looked pretty cool.

[alocispepraluger102]

Same here, but I can't stand it now.

Last time I had it, it was kinda sweet for me. I'm not drinking now, but I saw the story on CNN this morning and those old bottles looked pretty cool.

they cut the proof of it, but the single barrel is still 94 proof, and at about 30 dollars a bottle, well worth it.

[Tim McG]

I don't get what the big deal is.

Just exactly how much money does Jack Daniels have to make for cryin' out loud?

So somebody is making a profit. Is that suddenly a problem in America?

[Jazzmoose]

Like 7/4, my problem is with the sweetness of the stuff. I'd rather stick to Crown Royal. Bland, maybe, but it doesn't have that cloying sweetness.

[MoGrubb]

They oughta test the broken seal bottles, if they ain't contaminated, drink them and the unopened stuff; maybe save the bottles for historical/posterity's sake. It's a waste of good liquor to dump it out. They could donate it to the poor or homeless, those that can't afford to buy it, for crying out loud.

[alocispepraluger102]

They oughta test the broken seal bottles, if they ain't contaminated, drink them and the unopened stuff; maybe save the bottles for historical/posterity's sake. It's a waste of good liquor to dump it out. They could donate it to the poor or homeless, those that can't afford to buy it, for crying out loud.

ah, liquor and cellphones for the homeless.

where does hillarod stand on this one? :rsmile:

[Jazzmoose]

They could donate it to the poor or homeless, those that can't afford to buy it, for crying out loud.

Damn it, I like this idea!

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

this'll end up in Tennesee state supreme court and they will keep the bottles give them to the smithsonian

[king ubu]

yuck, why don't you just all start drinking real whisky (scotch, that is... irish if there's no scotch at hand...)

[MoGrubb]

yuck, why don't you just all start drinking real whisky (scotch, that is... irish if there's no scotch at hand...)

Hey, I like scotch too, but...

That's blasphemous!

I say That's Blasphemous!!

Edited November 19, 2007 by MoGrubb

[alocispepraluger102]

yuck, why don't you just all start drinking real whisky (scotch, that is... irish if there's no scotch at hand...)

cant get teacher's over here anymore(most consider it rotgut), so i swore off the stuff.

good enough for redd foxx, good enough for aloc.

Edited November 19, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[king ubu]

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Like 7/4, my problem is with the sweetness of the stuff. I'd rather stick to Crown Royal. Bland, maybe, but it doesn't have that cloying sweetness.

Try switching to Crest Whiskey then. Hey, if it's good enough for Sean Connery, it's good enough for you!!!

[vajerzy]

yuck, why don't you just all start drinking real whisky (scotch, that is... irish if there's no scotch at hand...)

Old Bushmills or Jamison's?

[Jazzmoose]

Hey, if it's good enough for Sean Connery, it's good enough for you!!!

I dunno; I have a hard time taking drinking advice from someone who thinks a martini should be shaken, not stirred.

[Tim McG]

yuck, why don't you just all start drinking real whisky (scotch, that is... irish if there's no scotch at hand...)

Old Bushmills or Jamison's?

Kilbeggan, Latty.

And Jamison's is owned by a French outfit now.

Edited April 28, 2010 by GoodSpeak