For whiskey lovers, the exorbitantly expensive Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, with its complex palate of caramel, oak, nuts, vanilla, maple, citrus, spice, and honey, is the ultimate Holy Grail. This label is well-known for being nearly impossible to find and fetching a huge price tag, and much of this has to do with its limited supply.

Pappy Van Winkle is aged longer than most bourbons, and the distillery behind the label only produces a limited number of bottles each year. With around 84,000 bottles sold annually, stock disappears fast, and even American state officials have been caught attempting to pull strings to procure bottles intended for the general public.

When the Beverage Testing Institute rated a 20-year-old blend of Pappy Van Winkle in 1996, it gained the highest rating ever granted to a whiskey. Since that review, the hype has built up over the course of decades, and as of March 2023, one limited edition 25-year-old bottle is available for purchase online at over $50,000.