Rare bourbon lovers will now have to hunt for their Pappy in Virginia

Virginia ABC changed the way it sells some of its limited availability booze this month, ceasing its notification system in favor of randomized in-store stocking, sans notification.

Why it matters: Some imbibers were camping outside of liquor stores overnight to get their hands on an in-demand bottle under the old system.

• Plus, two former ABC employees pleaded guilty to computer trespassing charges in 2022 for selling insider info about these rare bourbon sales, per Virginia Mercury .

The big picture: Virginia is one of 17 " control states ," which means state-run stores are the only place one can legally buy a bottle of liquor.

• It also means that while regular, everyday spirits (like Tito's) tend to be priced slightly higher here , limited-edition ones, ( like Pappy Van Winkle ) are offered at the manufacturer's sales price — often hundreds or thousands dollars less than you can find it on the open market.
• A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon 15 Year, for example, would cost a Virginian $169.99 if they got their hands on one at the state liquor store, far less than the nearly $2,500 Sotheby's has it listed for today.
• That big price difference makes limited edition spirits — especially the highly sought-after bourbons — attractive not just to imbibers and collectors, but to anyone with an eBay account who can do basic math.

Zoom in: Virginia ABC has been trying to find an equitable system for distributing its rare bottles for nearly a decade.

• It launched a lottery for the rarest of the rare — the Pappys — in 2016 and in 2022 started a "drop" and notify system for the rest, meaning people who signed up for alerts received notifications after a bottle "dropped" at a store. Virginia's tweaked that system multiple times amid complaints that it was unfair.
• Plus, under drop and notify, some people were literally camping outside of ABC stores, which gave them an unfair advantage over people who couldn't dedicate a full eight hours to sleeping against the side of a strip mall, per ABC's FAQ on the changes .

The latest: Effective now, drop and notify is no more. ABC will simply stock store shelves with the spirit at "random dates and times" and without notifications.

• Store sales volume will determine which stores get the products and how much; the stock will not be listed on ABC's website in advance to try to keep down the crowds.
• A one bottle limit of the rare stuff is still in effect.
• The only way to know the stock is there is if a shopper wanders by.

Yes, but: The rarest of the rare liquors, including Pappy, will continue under the lottery system, according to ABC.

• Those super rare bottles appear to include a celebrity line .
• ABC's next lottery opens Monday with nine celeb made and signed spirits, including Whipshots Vanilla , signed by Cardi B, and Heaven's Door Redbreast Whiskey , signed by Bob Dylan .