Bourbon boom leads some enthusiasts to spend thousands, bend laws for rare brands

As demand for bourbon skyrockets, so does demand for rarer, more expensive brands — and some will go to extreme (and even illegal) lengths to access it.

In Oregon, several high-ranking officials at the state’s liquor regulating agency are under criminal investigation after an internal probe found they used their influence to obtain scarce bourbons.

That included the holy grail for bourbon fanatics: Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old, which can sell for tens of thousands of dollars on resale markets. Top-end bourbons have found themselves at the center of criminal investigations in at least three other states, from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Kentucky.