New Jersey Man and Dog Unearth Prohibition-Era Whiskey Stash on Beach

Austin Contegiacomo, a Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer from Northfield, New Jersey, experienced an extraordinary stroke of luck last month when he stumbled upon a cache of Prohibition-era whiskey while walking his dog, Koda, on a local beach. The discovery of the vintage liquor, a brand called Lincoln Inn, transformed an ordinary dog walk into an intriguing historical exploration.

Contegiacomo, 28, who admits he isn’t much of a drinker himself, had just completed a grueling 24-hour shift and decided to unwind by taking Koda, his sheepadoodle, to the beach near Margate Pier, south of Atlantic City. Little did he know, this routine excursion would lead to an encounter with a piece of the past.

"I take him to the beach to play just about every day," Contegiacomo explained to Fox News Digital. As he was throwing a ball for Koda, he noticed the dog becoming unusually fixated on something in the sand. "My dog tends to rub himself in stuff that smells weird. So there’s this brown bottle in the sand and he starts rubbing on it."

Initially, Contegiacomo dismissed it as nothing more than a discarded bottle. "I thought, ‘Oh man, it looks like a bottle of pee,’" he recounted. He tried to dissuade Koda, but the dog’s curiosity was piqued. Just a few feet away, Koda discovered another bottle and immediately resumed his enthusiastic rubbing. A third bottle followed, prompting Contegiacomo to realize that they had stumbled upon something far more significant than mere trash.

The bottles were lying near the surface, amidst an array of seashells and other debris that had washed ashore. Contegiacomo speculated that recent beach repairs involving dredging might have unearthed the hidden treasure. "I think it was from dredging because they’ve been repairing the beaches and they do it in the winter to get ready for the summer," he explained. "There hadn’t been any storms, but it was a crazy amount of stuff washed up."

In total, Contegiacomo and Koda unearthed eleven intact glass bottles of the rare, old whiskey. Each bottle was clearly marked with the name "Lincoln Inn." Intrigued, Contegiacomo contacted a friend who conducted a quick online search to learn more about the mysterious brand.

Their research revealed that Lincoln Inn was a product of a Montreal distillery that operated in the 1930s before going out of business in the 1970s. "Dude, there’s really not much info on this, but it looks like it’s old," Contegiacomo’s friend told him. "He said I should definitely keep it and find out more about it."

Acting on his friend’s advice, Contegiacomo gathered the bottles, carefully placing them inside his jacket, which he then tied up to create a makeshift sack. Back home, he shared his discovery on Reddit, where it quickly gained attention from both bottle-digging enthusiasts and whiskey aficionados.

Members of these online communities pointed out a diamond shape embossed on the bottom of the bottles, a mark that was initiated in 1928. The shape of the flask-like bottles, combined with the type of screw-top closure, led experts to believe the whiskey dated back to the 1930s or 1940s.

Adding to the intrigue, some of Contegiacomo’s colleagues returned to the beach the following day and unearthed one more bottle, bringing the total haul to a dozen. Instead of keeping the entire collection for himself, Contegiacomo decided to share the wealth, gifting a bottle to each of his close friends and his father.

"A lot of the guys thought it was super cool," he said. "There’s about 10 of us. A lot of the guys are from New Jersey and most people have family around here, so it’s kind of a part of New Jersey’s history – so I ended up giving pretty much all the bottles away to guys I work with."

The whiskey bottles exhibited variations in clarity, with some appearing clear and others hazy. Contegiacomo learned that these differences might be attributed to the filtration methods used during that era or the charring process of the barrels in which the whiskey was aged. He kept the clearest bottle for himself.

The bottles remained sealed, and the whiskey levels appeared consistent, leading Contegiacomo to believe that the liquor inside might still be viable. "The ocean temperatures usually don’t get anywhere near 70 degrees, even at the bottom of the waters in New Jersey," he noted, suggesting that the relatively cool environment might have helped preserve the whiskey.

The mystery of how the bottles ended up submerged in the ocean remains unsolved. Contegiacomo speculated that they might be remnants of bootlegging operations during Prohibition. "Apparently [bootleggers] used to bring it down to about the Jersey Shore – and then small boats would take off from the Jersey Shore and they would pick the liquor up," he said. "I guess the boardwalk was pretty much a hot spot for rum running and stuff during Prohibition."

Despite the potential value of the vintage whiskey, Contegiacomo has no intention of drinking it or selling it. He values the historical significance and the story behind the discovery far more than any monetary gain or personal enjoyment.

"If any of us intend to try it, I don’t think it’d be me that opens it," Contegiacomo stated. "Opening it and then seeing it empty or even half-empty kind of detracts from it. Even if it’s a great whiskey or something, I don’t think I’d appreciate the whiskey itself nearly as much as I appreciate the story and how it got here."

For Austin Contegiacomo, the discovery of the Lincoln Inn whiskey is more than just finding a stash of old liquor. It’s a connection to a bygone era, a tangible link to the history of his home state, and a fascinating tale to share for years to come. The unlikely find, aided by his loyal companion Koda, has transformed a simple dog walk into an unforgettable adventure.