Buffalo Trace 250th Anniversary Advent Calendar Scam: Fake Gift Exposed

A bourbon countdown box looks like an easy gift for someone who loves Buffalo Trace. The anniversary artwork makes it seem even more special.

Before reserving a place for it under the tree, look closely at the promise. There is an important difference between the picture and the purchase.

Overview

The Official Anniversary Calendar Is Not a Real Release

Buffalo Trace Distillery rejects the calendar promotion. Its warning says neither an advent calendar nor a 250th-anniversary bottle has ever been released with its authorization.

This is not a warning based merely on an unfamiliar shop name. The advertised official product contradicts the brand’s own statement.

The legitimate distillery is being impersonated. Its genuine whiskey and merchandise are separate from these anniversary-calendar offers.

Whiskey Language Can Hide a Decoration Purchase

One current Masoncanlid page promises 24 whiskeys. Another page on the same site describes festive ornaments under a similar Buffalo Trace anniversary title.

A bottle-shaped tree decoration is not a miniature bottle of bourbon. Read the written contents claim, not just the image of familiar labels.

• A brand name on the box does not establish authorization.
• An anniversary date does not authenticate a collectible.
• A shipping record does not confirm what the parcel contains.
• A return policy does not make the advertised whiskey collection genuine.

The Same Pitch Appears Beyond One Storefront

The fake anniversary concept appears on several shopping sites. Current listings use the same brown presentation box, bison artwork, and arrangements of miniature-looking bottles.

Recognize the product story rather than memorizing a list of domains. A different store address does not create an authorized Buffalo Trace release.

Buffalo Trace’s Warning Covers More Than the Calendar

The distillery’s official scam alert also identifies supposed Buffalo Trace 250th-anniversary bottles and Traveller Blend No. 40 Whiskey America’s 250th Anniversary Edition.

Those related offers trade on the same idea: a recognizable whiskey name attached to a special anniversary product the brand has disowned.

Its official merchandise-store warning tells buyers not to purchase these offers and directs affected customers toward their payment provider.

Do not pay an extra fee to verify, release, or replace an order through someone claiming to represent the distillery.

That warning concerns these counterfeit product claims. It is not a declaration that every independent whiskey retailer or every bourbon calendar is fraudulent.

How the Buffalo Trace Anniversary Calendar Scam Works

Step 1: The Packaging Borrows a Reputation You Already Trust

The product picture combines a decorated calendar box with recognizable bottle labels. The visual tells a story before the shopper reads a word.

A gift buyer may recognize the distillery without knowing its product range. The seller benefits when that recognition is mistaken for approval.

The 250th-anniversary wording adds apparent significance. It makes an ordinary shopping page feel like access to a collector’s release.

But the brand’s rejection settles that question. Packaging artwork cannot turn an unauthorized item into an official anniversary collection.

Step 2: A Tasting Promise Makes the Small Price Attractive

Masoncanlid lists the calendar for $25.90 beside a crossed-out $99.99 reference price. Its description says, “Discover 24 carefully selected whiskeys.”

That wording creates an expectation of something to drink. A shopper is not unreasonable to read whiskey as whiskey rather than a cardboard or plastic representation.

Another live listing, on Bipubunny, costs $59.95 and describes 25 premium bourbon miniatures. Changing the bottle count or price does not fix the authorization problem.

The more useful question is not whether the discount is large enough. It is whether the seller can supply the product actually promised.

A crossed-out amount is the store’s comparison price, not confirmation that an authorized calendar previously sold for that sum.

Similarly, pictures of sought-after bottle labels do not establish the size, contents, provenance, or availability of anything inside the box.

Step 3: Other Wording Changes What You Think You Bought

A second Masoncanlid listing also costs $25.90 but describes miniature bottles as festive ornaments. Its variants include several whiskey-brand themes alongside beer and soda calendars.

That is a different contents promise from a selection of whiskeys. Small changes in descriptions can become important when a buyer later complains.

An honestly described decoration is distinct from liquor advertised and replaced with a decoration. Save the exact listing you used, including its full description.

If your advertisement and checkout page promise different things, leave. Do not assume the more attractive version is the one that will arrive.

Step 4: Familiar Checkout Features Reduce Hesitation

Shopping controls, payment logos, quantity discounts, and order-protection options make these pages resemble ordinary retail purchases.

Those features process a transaction. They do not authenticate the merchandise or establish that Buffalo Trace authorized the collection.

Keep a record of the amount, quantity, shipping charge, and any optional add-on. A low headline price may not be the final total.

Where a page encourages buying several calendars, remember that a discount multiplies the commitment. It does not reduce the risk of every item being misrepresented.

Check the confirmation for the number of calendars, not the number of advertised bottles. Those are different quantities and should not be confused in a complaint.

Step 5: A Delivered Parcel Can Become a Refund Argument

A package can arrive while the original promise remains unfulfilled. The key comparison is the advertisement against the contents, not simply delivered versus missing.

If cardboard cutouts arrive instead of advertised whiskey, photograph both. Keep the outer label and the item rather than discarding them immediately.

Describe the mismatch precisely to your payment provider. Calling it only poor quality can obscure a more significant difference between the promised and delivered goods.

For several calendars in one order, photograph each item together with the packaging. That helps account for the entire purchase rather than only one damaged or missing piece.

Do not let a tracking number end the discussion. Tracking establishes a carrier event, not the authenticity or composition of a gift box.

A Buyer Report Shows the Return-Cost Pressure

A November 2025 BBB Scam Tracker report identifies Finehandwork.com and a $60 anniversary-calendar purchase.

The buyer describes receiving a much smaller perforated cardboard item. They say it looked nothing like the larger calendar in the promotion.

The reported response offered a 20% partial refund without a return, or a full refund requiring return postage costing more than $20.

That account illustrates why a low-price gift can become an expensive argument. Paying substantial postage to recover part of a purchase can pressure buyers into accepting less.

This complaint concerns Finehandwork, not a documented Masoncanlid transaction. The shared anniversary pitch is relevant; a common operator has not been established.

Seller and Return Details That Matter

The Merchant Is Not the Distillery

Masoncanlid’s About page describes a business involved in mason-jar lids. Its navigation highlights bras and Christmas pajamas.

Neither detail explains authorization to sell a Buffalo Trace anniversary release. The account taking payment must be identified independently of the name printed on the advertised box.

A retailer selling many categories can be legitimate. Here, the decisive issue remains the distillery’s rejection of the supposed branded product.

The Published Contact Is a Store Email

The contact and return pages use support@masoncanlid.com. They promise replies within one to two business days while also warning about delays.

Keep that address with your order record. It is not a Buffalo Trace support channel, and emailing it does not involve the distillery in your purchase.

A delivery label or a proposed logistics address also does not identify a licensed producer or prove where the item was manufactured.

Shipping Estimates Are Not a Holiday Guarantee

Masoncanlid describes one to three business days for processing, followed by delivery five to 30 business days after shipment.

The same page contains an express-shipping table listing seven to 12 days. Those different ranges deserve attention before ordering a date-sensitive gift.

Record the estimate that accompanied your purchase. Do not wait through repeated new deadlines without checking your payment provider’s dispute window.

For a Christmas gift, count processing separately from transit. A dispatch confirmation is not a promise that the present reaches its recipient on time.

The Return Address Requires Another Contact

The return policy allows applications within 14 days after delivery, requires unused goods and original packaging, and directs customers to email for the return address.

It puts return postage on the customer when the return is caused by the consumer. That wording should not hide a complaint that the goods were misrepresented.

Get the proposed remedy and address in writing. Before spending more money on postage, check what evidence your payment provider needs.

The same policy says cancellation is possible before production or shipment. If you notice the warning immediately after paying, request cancellation promptly and preserve the timestamp.

A sender’s address on the parcel is not necessarily an approved return destination. Get the store’s instructions before dispatching anything.

What to Do if You Fell Victim to This Scam

1. Save the exact promise. Capture the advertisement, product description, price, contents claim, and checkout total. Download your order confirmation and keep the payment reference.

   If a gift recipient opened the package, ask them to keep the box and contents. Their photographs may help show what actually arrived.

2. Separate non-delivery from a contents mismatch. For missing goods, preserve tracking and the promised delivery date. For wrong goods, photograph the entire delivered set.

   Explain whether you expected real whiskey, an official collectible, or decorations. Your saved listing should support that description.

3. Contact the payment provider promptly. Ask about a purchase dispute for missing or misdescribed merchandise. Provide the official brand warning with your transaction evidence.

   The CFPB’s US credit-card guidance gives 60 days to send a written billing-error notice, measured from the first statement containing that error.

   For PayPal US, non-delivery has a 180-day payment deadline. Misdescription uses whichever arrives first: the 30-day delivery deadline or the 180-day payment deadline.

4. Do not pay a refund-release fee. Save any demand for additional payment or an unfavorable partial-refund offer. Ask your payment provider before accepting a settlement.

   If a tracked return is required, retain proof of postage and delivery. Recovery depends on the payment method, evidence, and applicable process.

5. Protect the information actually exposed. Monitor payment activity. Tell your card issuer about unauthorized charges and ask whether further protection is needed.

   If you reused a shopping password, replace it on the affected accounts. Simply viewing a product page is not a reason to erase a device.

6. Report the impersonation. Submit the listing and advertisement through the platform’s reporting tools and Buffalo Trace’s official reporting channel.

   Do not expect the distillery to refund a third-party purchase. Its current warning says it cannot verify, fulfill, refund, or replace those unauthorized orders.

   If an unidentified liquid arrives, do not drink it because the label looks familiar. Keep it safely away from children while seeking appropriate advice.

How to Avoid the Next Anniversary Gift Pitch

Start with the brand’s own website, reached independently. Verify that the specific release exists before comparing retailer prices or delivery promises.

For a calendar, identify whether each compartment holds alcohol, empty packaging, or decorations. Product dimensions and a contents list should support the advertised use.

Do not rely on decorative photos as a substitute for those details. A picture of bottles beside a box does not mean those bottles are included.

If buying for somebody else, keep the original confirmation yourself. A gift recipient may have the delivered item but none of the payment records.

Be particularly cautious when unrelated sites repeat the same rare-release story. Repetition can make an invented product seem established without adding any real authorization.

Our broader Buffalo Trace calendar warning covers the holiday offer beyond anniversary wording.

The NeeDoh calendar report and fake Jack Daniel’s giveaway report explain other ways familiar names are used to sell an unverified gift or prize.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Buffalo Trace 250th Anniversary Advent Calendar Genuine?

No official release exists. Buffalo Trace’s direct warning rejects this anniversary-calendar promotion, regardless of which shopping site displays the box.

Does the Calendar Actually Include Bourbon?

Some listings promise whiskey, while others describe ornaments. Do not buy either as an authorized Buffalo Trace collection. If you already paid, preserve your exact contents promise.

Why Do Some Listings Say 24 Bottles and Others Say 25?

Current seller descriptions use different counts. That inconsistency is another reason to examine the listing, but neither count establishes a genuine distillery product.

Is Buffalo Trace Itself a Scam?

No. The warning concerns misleading products using the legitimate distillery’s identity. Genuine whiskey and verified merchandise are different from this fabricated anniversary offer.

Can I Dispute the Purchase if Something Was Delivered?

Yes, ask about misdescribed merchandise if the contents materially differ from the advertisement. Preserve photographs and the original listing. A delivered parcel does not automatically settle that issue.

Will Buffalo Trace Replace a Fake Calendar?

Do not count on replacement or reimbursement from the distillery. Its current warning directs affected buyers toward payment disputes and says unauthorized third-party orders cannot be fulfilled or refunded.

The Bottom Line

Skip the Buffalo Trace 250th Anniversary Advent Calendar offer. A familiar label, a festive box, and a discount cannot authenticate a release the distillery has disowned.

If you already bought it, save the advertisement and delivered contents, then contact your payment provider. Pursue the actual purchase problem instead of spending more to unlock a refund.

For your next gift, verify the product with the brand before shopping around. That small check is more valuable than a supposedly rare anniversary bargain.