A bourbon heist at a high-end Kentucky distillery has left tongues wagging in elite whiskey circles and some small-town cops wondering whodunit.

The Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort noticed this week that it was missing some of its 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle, one of the rarest and most sought after bourbons in the world.

"It's highly coveted," said Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton, the man leading the investigation. "It's the best of the best."

Melton said the distillery called him on Tuesday to report that 65 cases, or 195 bottles, of the high-end hard stuff were unaccounted for.

Nine cases of Pappy Van Winkle rye were also missing.

"We believe whoever did this took them out the back from the secured area over a period of two months" Melton said. "Obviously, the way this happened, it's indicative of an inside job."

Read - Cops: High-end bourbon heist likely an inside job