The high school principal who Kentucky police initially said had tried to sell a “large amount” of ultra-rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbon whiskey to a liquor store clerk has been cleared of all wrongdoing, says Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton. Some $26,000 worth of the high-demand liquor was reported missing from Buffalo Trace distillery in mid-October, and despite a number of leads, police have been stymied by a number of factors, including the bourbon’s robust secondhand market amongst collectors, who often sell one or two bottles at a time. It seems a real breakthrough is imminent, however: “The net is closing. It’s getting tighter. It’s hot. You’re not going to be able to take it and sell it anywhere,” Melton says, adding that his office will hold a news conference next Monday at 2 p.m. to make a “significant announcement” pertaining to the case. [Herald-Leader, WDRB, Earlier, Related]
