A suspect has been arrested in Franklin County, Kentucky in connection with the theft of five barrels of Wild Turkey bourbon this week. Suspect Gilbert Thomas Curtsinger, a resident of Franklin County, is also an employee of Buffalo Trace. The five barrels of what is suspected to be Wild Turkey were found behind his shed with the barrel head markings obscured. The similar nature of the crime plus the fact that he works at Buffalo Trace makes him a prime suspect in the Pappy Heist of 2013.
For those of you who don’t remember the Pappy Heist of 2013, more than $26,000 worth of rare Pappy Van Winkle was stolen from a warehouse at Buffalo Trace. It has still not been recovered. Because of the details of the crime, authorities have long suspected the Pappy Heist was an inside job. Curtsinger’s work on the loading dock at Buffalo Trace, where Pappy Van Winkle is currently produced, certainly would give him access, though the Franklin County Sheriff’s office says the case is still open and under investigation.
Bourbon theft is not a new thing, and with the current boom and projected shortage it probably won’t ever disappear entirely. Bonded warehouses built decades ago were required to have smaller windows on the bottom levels with bars on them through which barrels would not fit, even if the bars were removed.
There are a few key differences between the two bourbon thefts. First, the Pappy was stolen when it was already in bottles. Second, these were obviously two different distilleries. While Curtsinger certainly fits the profile for the Pappy Heist, the investigation is still ongoing and police haven’t yet named him as a suspect. The world may never know the true identity of the Pappy thief.
Photos Courtesy of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department
