$500K worth of bourbon stolen from Philadelphia warehouse🙈
#Kiddish😜
An investigation is underway after more than 10,000 bottles of bourbon were stolen from a Philadelphia warehouse in broad daylight Friday.
According to A21 Wine & Spirits and Apogee 21 Holdings, about 1,800 cases of Noble Oak Bourbon, valued at roughly $500,000, were stolen from American Supply on N. American Street between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on June 5 in what officials described as a coordinated cargo theft operation. Each case contained six bottles, for a total of 10,800 bottles.
A21 Wine & Spirits said it is treating the theft as a serious criminal matter and is cooperating with law enforcement. The company said the theft involved a large quantity of Noble Oak Bourbon, a newly acquired brand, and appeared to have been carried out by people familiar with logistics operations and product movement schedules.
Rob Koch, chief operating officer of Apogee 21 Holdings, said the suspects convinced warehouse employees they were authorized to pick up the bourbon. He said workers failed to follow some standard security procedures, allowing the thieves to carry out the theft.
“This is one of the largest thefts of bourbon that we’ve seen, especially this year in the region,” Koch said.
Because of the scale of the theft, Koch said the bourbon could be resold through unauthorized distributors, secondary wholesalers, online marketplaces, or other illegal channels. Officials are urging distributors, retailers, restaurants, bars, brokers, freight operators, warehouse operators, and consumers to report suspicious offers involving large quantities of Noble Oak Bourbon sold outside normal distribution channels.
Koch said the theft was reported to the Philadelphia Police Department, the FBI, and other agencies. He added that despite the loss, the company will still plant a tree for every bottle sold.
