Philadelphia Sees Major Bourbon Robbery
By Richard Thomas
Since the founding of The Whiskey Reviewer, news on the loss of whiskey valued in the six digits has come in one of two forms: robberies or thefts of a relatively small amount of very valuable bottles or trucking accidents resulting in the loss of a large quantity of mass market products. The most recent account of a robbery involving both bulk quantity and large value I am aware of dates to the 1950s, but that changed this month with a major crime in Philadelphia.
According to A21 Wine & Spirits and Apogee 21 Holdings, Inc., their American Supply facility on N. American Street saw the theft of 1,800 cases of Noble Oak Bourbon in broad daylight–between 1 and 3 p.m.–on June 5. The approximately 10,800 bottles have a retail value of over half a million dollars.
Reportedly the thieves appeared as a fake trucking company, complete with falsified dispatcher information. The heist was therefore at least somewhat sophisticated. The crime has been reported to local and federal law enforcement and the investigation is ongoing.
If your thoughts turned to “mafia,” there are good reasons for that. Although nothing about the details of the crime points to them, the Philadelphia mob remains active today. Also, the last time a theft of this size was pulled off in the US, it was when the Chicago Outfit hijacked a truckload of whiskey in 1957.
