We are in Week 1 of September - our month to gather bottles of whiskey and other collectible spirits for the raffle. It is very important that we reach our prize pool goal in order to market and sell tickets in October and November!

To reach our goal of selling 1,000 tickets, we need to be able to advertise the prizes. We need 30 – 40 bottles of whiskey to reach this goal. We prefer donated bottles where possible, but we need our active membership to acquire some prestige whiskeys. Talk to your friends; talk to your network; talk to your bartenders… but be on the watch for prestige bottles that would be appealing to people and help sell raffle tickets.

What’s a “prestige bottle?” If all else fails, the gross method of price is still a pretty good measuring stick of prestige. Any bottle $50 or more will probably command at least some interest! Some general rules of thumb:

• Any bottle that says “scotch” and is 18yrs or older
• Any rye our bourbon that’s older than 12 yrs
• Any bottle that says “bourbon” and also says “barrel strength” or “cask strength”
• Bottles that carry a “lot number” and “bottle number” on the label
• Any bottle that sounds familiar like “Jack Daniels” or “Wild Turkey” but is weirdly expensive and carries some fancy label like “Master’s Collection” or “Sinatra Edition.” These are often collectible.
• Anything Japanese 12 yrs or older

Some terms to look out for that tend to signal highly collectible and sought-after whiskey:

• “Pappy Van Winkle” (the holy grail of whiskey)
• “Antique Collection” from Buffalo Trace
• “Orphan Barrel” series
• “Paker’s Heritage” from Heaven Hill
• “Kavalan” from Taiwan
• “Birthday Bourbon” from Old Forester

Our Timeline

This first month of September is all about the prize pool… we need bottles! This is how our major fundraiser for the fall is shaping up:

• Phase 1: Gather prizes (to be completed by October 1). we now have 5 of our anticipated 30 - 40 bottles promised… let’s go!
• Phase 2: Sell tickets (goal is to sell all 1,000 tickets by November 15): we’ll be priced at $25/ticket or 5 tickets for $100. Sales are open now but we will begin marketing in earnest in October.
• Spread the word! Encourage friends, family, and colleagues—whiskey enthusiasts are never hard to find (they brag). Every ticket sold brings us closer to our $25,000 goal. And whiskey might just be a great way to introduce people to Rotary.
• And lastly, SAVE THE DATE! Thirsty Thursday, November 20! We’re targeting that last Thursday before Thanksgiving for the main event itself.