Description
Toby Curtsinger spent 26 years working inside Buffalo Trace Distillery. He knew the property. He knew the warehouses. He knew the people. And he was there during an era that would become part of one of bourbon’s most talked-about stories.
Years later, Buffalo Trace sent Toby a cease-and-desist and barred him from the property. That letter is part of the story. So are the 26 years that came before it.
The Pappy Heist: Inside the Story is a live bourbon storytelling experience built around Toby’s firsthand memories, the public record, and the events surrounding one of the most infamous bourbon theft investigations in American whiskey history.
This is not a Buffalo Trace tour. It is not produced by Buffalo Trace. And Toby is not speaking for Buffalo Trace. He is speaking for himself.
Hear what bourbon culture was like before the boom. Learn about the personalities, warehouse life, security, coveted bottles, and the world surrounding the Pappy theft. Then separate what Toby personally witnessed from what became public record and what remained rumor.
The evening ends where a corporate tour never could: ask Toby yourself. No script. No tour guide talking points. A conversation with someone who spent 26 years inside the industry.
The evening, in four acts
Toby sets the scene: what it was really like working there, the personalities, warehouse culture, and what bourbon looked like before the boom.
2. The Heist
The Pappy theft story: what disappeared, what happened, what people knew, rumor versus fact, and what changed afterward.
3. The Investigation
Evidence, suspects, arrests, court records, unanswered questions, and audience participation.
4. Ask Toby
An open Q&A about his 26 years working in Kentucky bourbon and the events he personally experienced.
The Pappy Heist and Outside the Gates are independently produced experiences and are not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Buffalo Trace Distillery or the Sazerac Company. References to Toby Curtsinger’s employment history and Buffalo Trace are made as part of the factual telling of his personal story.
