The theft of Pappy Van Winkle and Wild Turkey, "Pappygate"
Kentucky, United States, 2008 to 2018
This case is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places and events in the game do not portray real people. The account below is a factual summary, based on public sources, of the case that served as inspiration.
In 2013, the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky reported dozens of cases of Pappy Van Winkle missing, one of the most sought-after bourbons in the world. The investigation revealed that an employee of the distillery itself, with help from coworkers and an employee of another company, had been diverting bottles and entire barrels for years and selling them to collectors.
Nine people were indicted in 2015; the ringleader pleaded guilty in 2018. Cases like this one and the rare wine forgeries showed how an old spirit can be swapped for cheap liquid inside the original bottle, with the seal redone.
Sources
In the game
Cask 12
Keane Distillery, in Ballykeel, County Cork, Ireland, 11:15 pm. Seamus Keane, 68, master distiller, was found dead in Warehouse 3, in the aisle of cask 12.
The game borrows the trusted employee who diverts a rare spirit from his own employer and the tampered barrel. Characters, crime and outcome are fiction.
