Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission director hired to clean up bourbon-hoarding scandal to retire
The state administrator Gov. Tina Kotek picked to stabilize the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission in the wake of a bourbon-hoarding scandal announced his retirement Thursday.
Craig Prins will leave the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission effective July 1, he said during the commission's Thursday meeting. Kotek urged commissioners to hire Prins, formerly the state prison system's internal watchdog, in February 2023 to correct the commission's course after she requested the resignation of its former director, one of six high-level employees implicated in diverting rare bottles of bourbon for personal use.
Prins described his decision to retire as difficult but right in a statement to commissioners.
'We have reached major milestones in modernizing the OLCC's operations and rebuilding the public's confidence in our mission,' he said. 'Having had the honor to work with this organization's dedicated public servants, I have complete faith in their ability to build on this progress.'
Commissioners appointed current deputy director Tara Wasiak to replace Prins beginning July 1. Before joining OLCC, Wasiak was the interim director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Kotek press secretary Roxy Mayer said the governor wished Prins the best and knows Wasiak will follow his example of leading the commission with integrity and accountability.
'Executive Director Craig Prins jumped into the leadership role at OLCC at a time of tumult for the commission,' Mayer said in an email. 'He delivered exactly what Oregon needed: stability, consistency and a dedication to excellent customer service.'
Before Prins took over, the commission was reeling from revelations that six top-level employees, including then-director Steve Marks, had used their positions to obtain rare, expensive bottles of bourbon for their own use.
Oregon is one of 17 'control states,' where state agencies regulate where and how liquor can be sold. Wine and beer are available in grocery stores, but hard liquor is kept in state warehouses and distributed to local liquor stores. The state also sets liquor prices.
And opportunities to buy rare bottles of liquor, such as Pappy Van Winkle, are supposed to be distributed in quarterly lotteries. Instead, investigators found that OLCC employees abused their positions by ordering rare bottles be sent to specific stores where they or their representatives could purchase them.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission settled cases with two former OLCC employees in April, fining them each $500. The ethics commission last week rejected a proposed $500 settlement with Marks, saying he should face a higher penalty as the former director.
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Yet despite its opaque recipe and $40 MSRP, Traveller's is far from a crappy cash grab, at least relative to other whiskeys in its class. The bottle has scored numerous industry awards. We also named it one of the 100 most important products of 2024. This year, Buffalo Trace also announced its plans to add a new premium expression of E.H. Taylor bourbon to its ultra-prestigious Antique Collection lineup, which, while not a volume play at all, was one indicator that the distillery's stocks of older, premium bourbon were finally loosening up. By introducing Eagle Rare 12 for an MSRP of $50 before local taxes and fees, Buffalo Trace appears to be making its boldest move yet to offer class-leading whiskeys at prices that competitors can't afford to match. Many of the industry's leading Master distillers consider somewhere between 8 to 14 years to be the ideal age range for bourbon, which is why it's traditionally one of the market's most competitive and beloved segments. Buffalo Trace-produced bottles have also dominated this space over the last several decades. However, very few distillers today offer a 12-year-old bourbon or even Tennesee Whiskeys as part of their permanent core lineup—presumably because of longstanding supply constraints. And all but one sell a 12-year-old version for an MSRP of just $50 today. Van Winkle Special Reserve 12-year-old, which Buffalo Trace has also distilled for years, has an MSRP of $150 now, though buying it for less than $800 could still be considered a steal. Knob Creek 12 has an MSRP of $60. The price of Jack Daniel's premium 12-year-old bottling has hovered between $85 and $95, depending on the year, though it's part of an annual limited-release series. 1792 Aged Twelve Years Bourbon technically matches Eagle Rare 12's $50 MSRP, but it's also a limited edition, and typically sells for double that cost on secondary markets. Buffalo Trace's leadership clearly understands the current bourbon market and Eagle Rare 12's unique position within it. Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley shared in a statement alongside the new release, 'This whiskey represents more than just time in the barrel—it's the result of years of dedication, innovation, and an unwavering commitment from our entire team. The investments we've made – in time, resources and effort – have allowed us to explore new possibilities in aging and flavor, and this release is a proud reflection of that journey.' Buffalo Trace's leadership clearly understands the current bourbon market and Eagle Rare 12's unique position within it. Andrew Duncan, Global Brand Director at Buffalo Trace, was even blunter in his assessment in the same statement. 'When it was introduced, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey brought higher quality standards to whiskey around the world; now, Eagle Rare pushes the bounds of age stating excellence in Bourbon.' But while everything about Eagle Rare 12 sounds great on paper, jaded whiskey fans will likely wait and see before judging the new bourbon's long-term market impact, and for good reason. After all, even putting Van Winkle Special Reserve 12-year-old aside, Buffalo Trace's history of producing 12-year-old bourbon at a high enough volume to keep price gouging at bay has been rocky, at least over the last 20 years, as evidenced by W.L. Weller 12. The now cult-favorite wheated bourbon once had an MSRP as low as $20, but it now costs between $60 and $70. However, due to a loose affiliation with Pappy Van Winkle and a consistently limited supply, it essentially retails for at least double that price. As such, Eagle Rare 12's reception and legacy will ultimately depend on how much stock Buffalo Trace is capable of and/or willing to bottle to keep supply aligned with demand. As such, Eagle Rare 12's reception and legacy will ultimately depend on how much stock Buffalo Trace is capable of and/or willing to bottle to keep supply aligned with demand. That said, even if supplies are limited right out of the gate due to the nature of Buffalo Trace's production ramp-up, there's still hope that further supply increases in the years to come may make Eagle Rare 12 easier to find at your local liquor store in the years ahead. According to Buffalo Trace, the new expression will be released to select retailers, bars, and restaurants across the United States beginning June 2025.
