Kentucky Government Seeks to Shutter Doors of Formerly Iconic Bourbon Retailer After a Slew of Damning Allegations
Justins’ House of Bourbon may be shut down by the Kentucky Government in the first state action since the raid. (Photo: Google Street View)
The latest development in the Justins’ House of Bourbon saga may spell the end for the retailer: Kentucky alcohol legislators are attempting to close the store, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday. According to the Herald-Leader, the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is looking to suspend and revoke Justins’ liquor licenses for a slew of alleged violations. It is the first instance of state action against the liquor store since January.
Per the Lexington Herald-Leader, Justins’ House of Bourbon faces the following allegations: failure to report vintage distilled spirits purchases to the state, illegal transportation of bottles between its two brick-and-mortar shops, unlawful shipment of bottles of whiskey both in and out of the state, and illegal purchase and sales of alcoholic beverages. The retailer is also accused of failing to place stickers on vintage spirits bottles to indicate they were from the secondary market.
These damning allegations follow a January incident where the Kentucky ABC raided the prolific bourbon shop.
During the raid, state liquor regulators seized a plethora of bourbon and held bottles of Blanton’s and W.L Weller. The bottles were placed under “voluntary detention” by federal alcohol authorities in Washington, D.C., according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The shop admitted it violated two regulations in May and paid a $3,000 settlement fine.
No criminal charges have been filed against the liquor store or individuals involved.
In January, the owners issued a statement stating that they “wholeheartedly cooperated” with the investigation.
In the comments section on the Reddit community r/bourbon, users aired their grievances about the shop. A comment with 212 upvotes read the following:
“I haven’t been a fan of this place since I visited and the guy said ‘hey try this’ and handed me a glass with a tiny pour to taste. Then he gave me another 5 tastes, acting friendly like he was just trying to give me tastes in hopes that I’d buy a bottle,” the user continued. “Then when I went to buy a bottle of a store pick, they charged me an extra $30 to cover the tastings they gave me. Never once was I told there was a charge for those tastes, or was led to believe I would be charged. They didn’t even ask if I wanted a taste. They just handed them to me. Karma.”
One user went so far as to refer to the store as the “poster child for the scourge of hoarding/flipping ‘rare’ bourbon.” A third Redditor expressed disappointment with their experience at the retail outlet:
“Went there last year to see what it was all about. Shitty customer service, museum pricing on everything in the cabinets and a bar with overpriced drinks. No thanks. we walked out of there 5 minutes later.”
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