PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 10, 2020 Contact: E.J. Powers 603.644.3200x11 [email protected]
NH Liquor Commission to Raise $500,000 for Charity Through Coveted Wine and Spirits Raffle
Cheers for Charity! raffle prize features 52 exclusive wines and spirits, including Pappy Van Winkle and O.F.C 1994 Bourbon, 2016 Château Pétrus Pomerol (100 points) and 2017 Domaine de La Romanee-Conti Echezeaux (94 points); Proceeds to benefit NH Food Bank and Easterseals NH
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) will raffle 52 of the most coveted and rare wines and spirits in the world with a goal of raising a combined $500,000 for the New Hampshire Food Bank and Easterseals New Hampshire. Entrants can choose which prize package they want to win in the Cheers for Charity! raffle – a package consisting of 35 spirits, including O.F.C. 1994 Bourbon Whiskey, Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition Kentucky Bourbon – or a prize package of 17 wines including a 2016 Château Pétrus Pomerol, 2017 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 2016 Opus One and six bottles of 2017 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux housed in a sealed crate. All 17 wines scored at least 94 points with four of the wines scoring 100—the highest score possible. Only 5,000 raffle tickets are available now through April 1. Tickets can be purchased for $100 each at liquorandwineoutlets.com/cheersforcharity. Cheers for Charity! marks NHLC’s latest charitable endeavor, as NHLC has raised more than $500,000 for nonprofits in New Hampshire over the past six months through a series of exclusive product raffles. The Cheers for Charity! raffle marks the first raffle in which NHLC has incorporated highly coveted wines. In addition to the prize packages of wines and spirits, each winner will also receive an all-expenses paid trip to New Hampshire to enjoy the state’s restaurant and hospitality scene. “We are pleased to be able to launch the Cheers for Charity! raffle in support of the New Hampshire Food Bank, which provides food to those in need across our state, and Easterseals New Hampshire, which is a leader in social services for individuals with disabilities and special needs throughout New Hampshire,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “We have an unrivaled selection of the world’s most rare and exclusive wines and spirits, and we are proud to be able to leverage those products for the benefit of New Hampshire’s nonprofit community, which makes a tremendous positive difference for so many people in the Granite State.” The Cheers for Charity! spirits prize package includes the following products: • Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • O.F.C 1994 Bourbon Whiskey • Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition Kentucky Bourbon • Old Fitzgerald 15 Year Old Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled-in Bond Decanter Series • Old Fitzgerald 9 Year Old Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled-in Bond Decanter Series • Old Forester Birthday Bourbon • Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Bourbon • Michter’s 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon • Michter's Toasted Barrel Finish Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey • Elijah Craig 18 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • W.L. Weller Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • W.L. Weller Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey • E.H. Taylor, Jr. Amaranth Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey • E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey • Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey • Hancock’s President’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey • Rebel Yell 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • Blood Oath Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • Old Elk Straight Wheat Whiskey 100-proof • Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey • Old Elk Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey • Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon French Oak Cask Finish • Daviess County Straight Bourbon Whiskey • Daviess County Kentucky Straight Bourbon Cabernet Sauvignon Finish • Jack Daniel's Eric Church Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey • Lone Whisker 12 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey • Ardbeg Blaaack General Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky • Dewar's Double Double 27 Year Blended Scotch Whiskey • Dewar's Double Double 21 Year Blended Scotch Whiskey • Springbank 15 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky • Knappogue Castle 14 Year Old Twin Wood Single Malt Irish Whiskey The Cheers for Charity! wine prize package includes the following products: • Domaine de La Romanee-Conti Echezeaux 2017 – sealed crate containing six bottles – 94 points (Wine Advocate) • Chateau Petrus Pomerol 2016 – 100 points (Robert Parker) • Château Mouton Rothschild 2017 – 98 points (James Suckling) • Château Lafite Rothschild 2017 – 98 points (James Suckling) • Château Haut-Brion 2016 Red Wine – 100 points (James Suckling & Wine Enthusiast) • Château Margaux 2016 – 99 points (Wine Advocate) • Opus One 2016 Red Blend Napa Valley – 99 points (James Suckling) • Château D'Yquem Sauternes 2014 – 99 points (Wine Enthusiast) • Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 – 98 points (Wine Advocate) • Dominus Estate 2016 Red Wine – 100 points (Robert Parker) • Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Blend 2015 Napa Valley – 98 points (Robert Parker) • Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2016 – 100 points (Wine Spectator) Due to limited production and high demand, few, if any of these products are available for sale at the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices, which combined is nearly $20,000. The value of these products on the secondary market is considerably more with the spirits prize package valued at more than $30,000 and the wine prize package valued at nearly $19,000. The O.F.C. 1994 Bourbon Whiskey alone can sell for upwards of $12,000 and a single bottle of the 2017 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux can sell for nearly $3,000. This support comes at a critical time for the New Hampshire Food Bank, as the need is continuing to rise. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire, estimates an additional 55,500 people are now food insecure in New Hampshire, meaning now one in seven New Hampshire residents do not know where their next meal is coming from. “We greatly appreciate this support from NHLC, as the Cheers for Charity! raffle will provide critical funding to help us purchase food for those in need,” said Eileen Liponis, Executive Director, New Hampshire Food Bank. “Our team has been working tirelessly to make sure all Granite Staters have food to eat. Our goal is to eliminate food insecurity in New Hampshire and contributions like this make that ambitious goal all the more feasible.”
NHLC has a longstanding relationship with Easterseals New Hampshire, as NHLC has raised more than $2 million for the organization over the past 17 years through the Winter Wine Spectacular, northern New England’s largest wine expo. The Winter Wine Spectacular is the centerpiece of New Hampshire Wine Week, a week-long celebration of wine, drawing the biggest names of the wine world for dozens of wine tastings, bottle signings, wine dinners and seminars. Unable to host the Winter Wine Spectacular given the COVID-19 pandemic, NHLC made the decision to include Easterseals New Hampshire in the Cheers for Charity! raffle to ensure continued fundraising support for the organization.
“Easterseals New Hampshire is grateful to NHLC for its ongoing support, which has made an extraordinary impact on our ability to meet the needs of thousands of children, adults, seniors and veterans in communities throughout the Granite State,” said Christine Pederson, Senior Director of Events for Easterseals New Hampshire. “We will be able to use the funding from this raffle to support our Early Supports & Services program, which provides critical resources, including physical therapy, speech and language pathology and early childhood special education, to children birth to age 3.”
Earlier this fall, NHLC raised $200,000 for Best Buddies New Hampshire through a raffle of exclusive whiskeys, and NHLC also raised more than $130,000 through another rare whiskey raffle to support local animal rescue organizations, including the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, Live and Let Live Farm, and Friends of Manchester Animal Shelter, who collectively support thousands of animals and their owners each year. This past spring, NHLC also raised $102,000 for the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association’s New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund, which is providing one-time grants of $250 to hospitality industry employees impacted by COVID-19. NHLC has worked with suppliers and brokers over the past seven years to raise more than $2.8 million for nonprofit organizations making an impact in New Hampshire and beyond, including Crotched Mountain Foundation, Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, Homes for Our Troops, Operation Care for Troops, Toys for Tots, Granite United Way, Community Foundation Sonoma County, Napa Valley Community Foundation, Concord Hospital, and many more.
About the New Hampshire Liquor Commission The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) operates 69 NH Liquor & Wine Outlets throughout the Granite State, providing more than 12 million annual customers with the widest selection of name brand wines and spirits at great prices and no taxes. NHLC has received numerous accolades, including being named the “Best state in the country for wine drinkers” by The Washington Post and “One of the best places in the country to find rare spirits” by Serious Eats. New Hampshire is one of 17 states where the government controls the sale of alcohol. NHLC has been named the “Nation’s top control state” by StateWays Magazine and its leadership has been recognized for “Transforming the control state model” by Market Watch Magazine. Since the first NH Liquor & Wine Outlet opened in 1934, more than $3.6 billion in net profits has been raised to fund programs including education, health and social services, transportation, natural resource protection, addiction treatment and prevention programs.
Visit www.LiquorandWineOutlets.com to locate an Outlet, search for product availability, learn about monthly sales, review wine tasting schedules, and sign up to receive significant savings with monthly Email Extras.
About the New Hampshire Food Bank The New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire, has been working to relieve hunger in the Granite State since 1984. While the New Hampshire Food Bank does not generally receive federal or state funding for food distribution, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Hampshire Food Bank is receiving one-time funding through the recent federal CARES Act. Since the spread of COVID-19, there are approximately one in seven men, women and children in New Hampshire who are food insecure, a projected 55,500 additional people and more than a 69% increase. In 2019, as the state’s only Food Bank, the New Hampshire Food Bank efficiently procured and distributed more than 14.2 million pounds of food to people in need through more than 400 non-profit registered agencies. Agencies include food pantries, neighborhood centers, low-income housing sites, senior nutrition centers, family crisis centers, hospices, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after school programs, and day care centers. For more information about the New Hampshire Food Bank, please visit www.nhfoodbank.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About Easterseals New Hampshire For 84 years, Easterseals NH has provided exceptional services to ensure we change the way the world defines and views disability by making profound, positive differences in people’s lives every day. Our core programs and services include Child Development Centers and Family Resource Center, Early Supports & Services, Autism Services, Residential & Educational Services, Transportation Services, Camping & Recreation, Community Based Services, Workforce Development, Military & Veterans Services, Senior Services, and Substance Use Treatment Services. As a leader in social services for individuals with disabilities and special needs, Easterseals NH employs more than 1,600 individuals who serve nearly 25,000 children, adults and seniors. To learn more about Easterseals NH, visit easterseals.com/nh.
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