Pappy Van Scavenger Hunt
Boozy Houston scavenger hunt boasts a bottle of ultra-rare Pappy Van Winkle
For bourbon drinkers, the name Pappy Van Winkle represents one of the most highly regarded brands in America. People line up for the opportunity to buy even one ounce at cost and willingly pay thousands for a bottle of their own.
Kristopher Hart, the host of the Whiskey Neat podcast (produced in conjunction with CultureMap parent company Gow Media) and the organizer of the Houston Whiskey Social, wants to help one lucky Houstonian get a bottle of Pappy without spending a dime courtesy of a special scavenger hunt where the top prize is a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15-year, which has a retail price of about $120 but routinely trades on secondary markets for close to $1,500 (Hart paid £1,200 at an auction for the bottle used in the giveaway).
In addition to the PVW15, Hart has partnered with downtown whiskey bar Reserve 101 to give away secondary prizes that include bottles of Blanton’s, Weller 12-year, Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year, Van Winkle Special Reserve 12-year, and E.H. Taylor single barrel. Winners will also receive discounts at Reserve 101 that range from $25 off to a free pour of any of the bar’s 300-plus whiskeys. Hart estimates a collector would expect to spend around $3,000 to acquire these bottles through the secondary market or via a liquor store that charges above retail prices for sought after bottles.
“All of these bottles are progressively harder to find at retail, unless you spend lots of money a year, like thousands upon thousands at either a mom and pop or Spec’s [as part of a loyalty program],” Hart says. “They’re basically impossible to find. It’s probably safe to say it’s easier to go on a scavenger hunt to find these bottles than it is to find them at retail.”
A time capsule containing a certificate that the winner will exchange for the bottle has been buried somewhere within the Houston city limits that isn’t private property, Hart says. The hiding spot, which is known only to Hart, “has to do with a historical aspect of Houston,” he adds. Boxes containing challenge coins for the secondary prizes have also been hidden around Houston.
The complete rules for the contest may be found on Hart’s website, but they essentially come down to “have fun, be safe, and please for the love of God don’t sue me or Reserve 101,” he says lightheartedly.
To make the hunt a little easier, Hart will release clues via his Instagram account (@whiskypete) and on his weekly podcast. The first clue, embedded below, shows a train that looks suspiciously like the one on the City of Houston Official Seal as well as a book titled Death By Black Hole.
Hart says those details led some people to search around Black Hole Coffee, but the bottle isn’t there (that would be too easy). Searchers will know they’re in the vicinity of either the main prize or a secondary prize when they see Hart’s Whisky Pete logo. Finding one of the secondary prizes not only brings a coveted bottle and a discount at Reserve 101; the person will also receive a private clue as to the location of the main prize.
If everything goes according to plan, the contest will run through the end of September, aka Bourbon Heritage Month. With the city’s whiskey obsessives buzzing, Hart’s already looking towards next year.
“I think this will be something we can continue to grow every year,” Hart says. “We want to double this next year. We want to make this much larger, more valuable bottles, more fun.”
