Nearly 33K Oregonians entered for chance to win OLCC’s rare liquor lottery
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon agency’s efforts to make the state’s high-end liquor lottery more accessible have proven to be successful.
On Monday, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission revealed it had received 156,457 entries during its first chance-to-purchase event of the year. From March 11 to March 17, officials reported that 32,822 residents applied for a chance to win a bottle of rare liquor.
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According to the commission, the lottery offered 354 bottles — the highest number offered in the program thus far.
Each winner was selected on March 19, in a drawing conducted by the OLCC and audited by the Oregon Military Department.
The liquor and cannabis commission announced the expansion of the chance-to-purchase program in November 2023, months after it had been criticized for allowing agency officials to take rare bourbon for themselves.
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Although an internal investigation found that employees were paying for the liquor, which costs several thousand dollars in some cases, the state of Oregon has a statute banning public officials from using confidential information for personal gain.
In response, the OLCC expanded the liquor lottery from a biannual event to a quarterly event.
“We’ve established a more transparent process for how Chance-to-Purchase works,” Distilled Spirits Program Director Steve Robbins said in a statement. “Our goal is to give more Oregonians an opportunity to win these hard-to-find products, while ensuring that every bottle is accounted for from the drawing to hands of the winning customers.”
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During this year’s first drawing, Pappy Van Winkle — the rare bourbon brand highlighted in last year’s OLCC scandal — was among the most sought-after liquors. Other products included the Eagle Rare 17 Year, Don Julio 1942 Última Reserva and Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old.
The latest liquor lottery winners have been notified. The next drawing is slated for June.
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