Sting Yields $1M Worth Of Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's From 1914 Among Bottles Found
POSTED: 4:41 pm CDT November 1,
2007
UPDATED: 8:39 am CDT November 2,
2007
LYNCHBURG, Tenn. -- Officials said they have broken up a Jack Daniel's bootlegging operation in Moore County.
VIDEO: $1M In Jack Daniel's Whiskey Seized In RaidThe contraband whiskey turned up when Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents stormed the Lynchburg operation.Authorities said they received permission to search two storage buildings on Highway 55 last weekend and found hundreds of bottles of Jacks Daniel's."There are bottles here that are not even sold in this county," said Mike Cawthorn, senior agent in charge of the Nashville office of the Tennessee Alcohol Beverage Commission. "There are bottles of Jack Daniel's here that are to be sold only in Italy and Spain."All of the bottles found in the raid bore the famous Jack Daniel's name."I think we ended up seizing approximately 2,400 bottles,” said ABC Executive Director Danielle Elks.The jewel among the thousands of bottles of liquor was a bottle distributed in 1914. It is one of only two bottles from that year in the country. Elks said the still-sealed bottle was worth about $10,000.Agents said the entire amount is worth more than $1 million because many of the bottles are not only rare but also commemorative. One bottle was found to have the distiller's signature on it.Others are single-barrel meant for specific clients. Some bottles are meant for tasting only and never made it to the barreling process where the distinctive brown coloring occurs, and some of the bottles aren't even meant to be sold in the U.S. and were packaged for international sales.Agents spent hours sorting the liquor on Thursday.Some of the illegal whiskey also was found in a motel in Nashville.Moore County Sheriff Mark Logan said there was enough whiskey recovered to fill a trailer and truck that then transported it to Nashville for storage.What happens to it after the judicial process is over?If the bootleggers are found guilty, some of the whiskey will be auctioned off in a sealed bid. But most of it will be destroyed, including the bottle of 1914."The Jack Daniel's representative that was here yesterday helping us said, ‘I don't want to be there when you destroy some of this,’” Elks said.ABC agents are investigating every possible angle for how the liquor was acquired, including the possibility that it was an inside job.Agents said anyone arrested could face charges of possession of untaxed whiskey.A Web site helped tip agents off about the whiskey. The investigation is continuing. Other Popular Stories On WSMV.com Vet's Euthanasia Method Unsettling To Some Animal Shelter Takes In Deserted Dogs Stars, Fans Remember Porter Wagoner Police Say Principal Dressed Like Woman
VIDEO: $1M In Jack Daniel's Whiskey Seized In RaidThe contraband whiskey turned up when Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents stormed the Lynchburg operation.Authorities said they received permission to search two storage buildings on Highway 55 last weekend and found hundreds of bottles of Jacks Daniel's."There are bottles here that are not even sold in this county," said Mike Cawthorn, senior agent in charge of the Nashville office of the Tennessee Alcohol Beverage Commission. "There are bottles of Jack Daniel's here that are to be sold only in Italy and Spain."All of the bottles found in the raid bore the famous Jack Daniel's name."I think we ended up seizing approximately 2,400 bottles,” said ABC Executive Director Danielle Elks.The jewel among the thousands of bottles of liquor was a bottle distributed in 1914. It is one of only two bottles from that year in the country. Elks said the still-sealed bottle was worth about $10,000.Agents said the entire amount is worth more than $1 million because many of the bottles are not only rare but also commemorative. One bottle was found to have the distiller's signature on it.Others are single-barrel meant for specific clients. Some bottles are meant for tasting only and never made it to the barreling process where the distinctive brown coloring occurs, and some of the bottles aren't even meant to be sold in the U.S. and were packaged for international sales.Agents spent hours sorting the liquor on Thursday.Some of the illegal whiskey also was found in a motel in Nashville.Moore County Sheriff Mark Logan said there was enough whiskey recovered to fill a trailer and truck that then transported it to Nashville for storage.What happens to it after the judicial process is over?If the bootleggers are found guilty, some of the whiskey will be auctioned off in a sealed bid. But most of it will be destroyed, including the bottle of 1914."The Jack Daniel's representative that was here yesterday helping us said, ‘I don't want to be there when you destroy some of this,’” Elks said.ABC agents are investigating every possible angle for how the liquor was acquired, including the possibility that it was an inside job.Agents said anyone arrested could face charges of possession of untaxed whiskey.A Web site helped tip agents off about the whiskey. The investigation is continuing. Other Popular Stories On WSMV.com Vet's Euthanasia Method Unsettling To Some Animal Shelter Takes In Deserted Dogs Stars, Fans Remember Porter Wagoner Police Say Principal Dressed Like WomanCopyright 2008 by WSMV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
