DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Templeton Rye whiskey, which can be hard to find in some Iowa shops, has been showing up on Internet sales sites in violation of Iowa laws against bootlegging.
The Des Moines Register reported that on Monday, a half-dozen or more people had listed the booze on eBay and Craigslist, asking up to $100 a bottle for whiskey that typically sells for $36 a bottle.
State officials say only licensed establishments may sell liquor and only at specific sites, and that online sales amount to bootlegging, which had its infamous heyday during Prohibition.
In Iowa, bootlegging is a serious misdemeanor that can carry a fine of up to $2,000 and a year in jail.
Tonya Dusold, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, said she wasn't aware of anyone being charged with bootlegging in its current, high-tech form.
But, she said, "we just want the public to know that's bootlegging, and it is punishable. We don't want people to get themselves in trouble."
Alana Trimble, of West Des Moines, listed a bottle for sale on eBay before pulling her ad. She said she thought eBay sales of liquor were OK if the bottles were sold unopened and as a collectible container.
The Templeton Rye brand has its origins in the Depression, when farmers in the Templeton area of western Iowa made up their own brew and sold some for profit. Templeton Rye, a corporation and holder of the trademark, eventually acquired the secret recipe and began producing and selling the modern version in 2006.
Liquor retailers say Templeton Rye is in high demand, and that some stores have waiting lists for bottles when the shipments arrive.
