The Bourbon So Exclusive Even Billionaires Can't Buy It

Pappy Van Winkle's devoted fans camp out in front of liquor stores for days

Ten years ago, no one imagined that bar snobs would eagerly pay upwards of $100 for an ounce of whiskey, or that a loosely organized crime syndicate would steal $100,000 worth of it in 2013.

But with the $2.9 billion bourbon industry facing critical shortages, NBC News reports that connoisseurs are going to increasingly wild lengths to get their hands on the most coveted prize of all: Pappy Van Winkle.

Pappy's devoted fans camp out in front of liquor stores for days and pay hundreds of dollars to charity raffles for the chance at winning a bottle. With demand far exceeding supply, theft and counterfeit have crept into the market too.

Chris Brantley, creator of a Pappy-centric website, told NBC News his first taste of the Family Reserve 20-year bourbon "blew everything else out of the water."

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