Customers Brave Cold, Line Up Overnight for Rare Bourbon in Medford

Photo: The line outside Atlas Liquors in Medford Saturday morning, and two lucky customers. Credit: Atlas Liquors.

On a freezing New England night, over 40 people lined up outside Atlas Liquors in Medford hoping to get their hands on an elusive bottle of 23-year-aged Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon.

The Black Friday-esque line started at 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 – the store opened 10 hours later.

The recent craze for Pappy Van Winkle’s bourbon has been well documented. A recent Washington Post article, “Pappy Van Winkle’s aged bourbon can’t keep pace with consumer demand,” took an in-depth look.

“The reason for Pappy hysteria is older than the bourbon: Extraordinary demand and limited supply that could not have been predicted when the whiskey was first barreled during the final gasps of the 20th century.” the Post article explains.

A theft of the bourbon last year at Pappy’s Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, created even more buzz.

Pappy Van Winkle sent out 7,500 cases from Kentucky this year. At some stores and on the secondary market, the 23-year-aged liquor, which always gets top reviews, will sell for over $2,000 (an empty bottle can fetch $108 on eBay, according to the Post). At Atlas, on Mystic Avenue, it was priced at $259.99, another reason for the line.

A number of stores utilize a lottery system to avoid the rush.

Atlas customers were treated to coffee and doughnuts, and those who did not score a bottle of Pappy’s were allowed to shop at employee pricing.