Kentucky bourbon has a big fan in Washington. Why that’s become problematic
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Atlantic reported Patel handed out specially engraved Woodford Reserve bottles.
- Patel has sued The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for defamation.
- Brown‑Forman said engravings occur after purchase; it’s unclear if distillery did work.
It’s often a good thing when Kentucky bourbon lands in the national spotlight (see last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, sponsored by Woodford Reserve). But not always.
“The Atlantic” magazine, which published an article on FBI Director Kash Patel’s alleged excessive drinking, on May 6 reported that Patel has been handing out specially engraved bottles of Woodford Reserve.
The magazine obtained, from an online auction, one such bottle, which was also signed by Patel with “#9,” which they say is presumably a reference to his post as the ninth director of the federal law enforcement agency.
Patel, who has sued “The Atlantic” and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for defamation, allegedly has been taking cases of customized 750mL bottles of the premium bourbon on a Department of Justice plane and giving them as gifts, according to this new article. He even left a bottle in an Olympic locker room in Milan, according to the article.
The FBI reportedly does not deny that Patel has engraved Woodford Reserve bottles or that he’s handing them out. But the agency told “The Atlantic” that they were “routine” and “part of a tradition in the FBI that started well over a decade ago.”
Brown-Forman spokeswoman Elizabeth Conway, who is the wife of former Kentucky attorney general and Democratic gubernatorial, Congressional and Senate candidate Jack Conway, gave a statement to the magazine: “Consumers who purchase Woodford Reserve occasionally have images and messages engraved on the bottle. These engravings occur after the point of purchase.”
Conway told “The Atlantic” she did not have information about who had ordered the bottles or when.
It is unclear from what Conway said if the bottles were engraved by the distillery or elsewhere.
Woodford Reserve Distillery, between Versailles and Frankfort, routinely engraves special messages on bottles; standard engraving is $10 per bottle, while gold lettered engraving is $12. However, that’s usually limited to six bottles per person, per day. Larger orders can be accommodated by special request, according to the website.
In response to a request by the Herald-Leader for clarification, Conway said only: “The bottles were engraved after the point of purchase. I do not have information regarding where or by whom the engraving was done.”
This isn’t the first time Woodford Reserve has been linked to politics: In 2014, “Saturday Night Live” used Woodford Reserve prominently in a cold-open sketch that portrayed President Obama and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sharing two bottles of the bourbon and then prank calling Hillary Clinton.
