(Ken Silva, Headline USA) FBI Director Kashyap Patel reportedly has his own personalized branded bourbon. And when a bottle went missing in March, he threatened to “polygraph and prosecute his staff.”
The Atlantic revealed latest details on Patel’s enthusiasm for alcohol on Thursday, a little over two weeks after Patel sued the outlet for publishing a story that portrays him as a drunkard.
The Atlantic reported that Patel has a collection of Kentucky distillery Woodford Reserve bottles engraved with the words “kash patel fbi director,” as well as a rendering of an FBI shield.
Kashyap allegedly threatened to "polygraph and prosecute" FBI staff when a bottle of his personalized bourbon went missing at a UFC training seminar. https://t.co/9LyeF1CSbR pic.twitter.com/0hwqnhPggE
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) May 7, 2026
“Patel has given out bottles of his personalized whiskey to FBI staff as well as civilians he encounters in his duties,” the Atlantic reported, citing eight anonymous sources.
In March, Patel reportedly brought a bottle to Quantico, Virginia, for a “training seminar” that included UFC fighters.
“At one point at least one bottle went missing, which caused the director to ‘lose his mind,’” the Atlantic reported, adding that “Patel began threatening to polygraph and prosecute his staff over the missing bottle.”
In response to the story, a spokesperson for Patel reportedly defended his personalized bourbon.
“The bottles in question are part of a tradition in the FBI that started well over a decade ago, long before Director Patel arrived,” the spokesperson reportedly said. “Senior Bureau officials have long exchanged commemorative items in formal gift settings consistent with ethics rules.”
Meanwhile, Patel has launched an investigation into the FBI sources who are apparently leaking information to the Atlantic about his drinking habits, according to MS Now. FBI comms official Ben Williamson denied the report.
“This is completely false. No such investigation like this exists and the reporter you mention is not being investigated at all,” Williamson said.
Along with the Atlantic’s reporting, The Intercept reported two weeks ago that Patel was twice arrested in the early 2000s—once in 2001 for public intoxication, and again in 2005 for public urination. Patel disclosed the incidents in a 2005 letter as part of his Florida Bar application.
The public reports have congressional Democrats asking Patel to fill out an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)—a 10-question screening tool considered the “gold standard” for assessing harmful patterns of alcohol consumption. Patel hasn’t publicly responded to their request.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
