The spiriting away of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of whiskey had a whiff of romance and “a very Kentuckiana aspect”, a court has heard. But really it was just theft.

Gilbert Curtsinger faces up to 15 years in prison as the ringleader of a bourbon-heist that took an estimated $100,000 worth of liquor, after pleading guilty in a case that has secured a place in Kentucky lore.

Some of the whiskey was sold through softball connections, while Curtsinger also pleaded guilty to charges over a steroid-trafficking scheme.

Curtsinger entered the plea on Wednesday in Franklin county circuit court to charges including theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

The one-time Buffalo Trace distillery employee was accused of delivering tarp-draped barrels to customers.

“This case is one that has a romantic aspect to it, has a very Kentuckiana aspect to it ... but in the end, this is a property theft crime,” prosecutor Zachary Becker said after the plea.

The thefts included hard-to-get and pricey brands such as Pappy Van Winkle bourbon that was taken from the Buffalo Trace Distillery. The thefts also targeted the Wild Turkey distillery.

Sheriff Pat Melton has estimated the recovered whiskey was worth at least $100,000.

Defense attorney Whitney Lawson said the plea agreement was the best decision for Curtsinger and his family. “This was a decision that was made by my client so that he can find some peace and some resolution to this,” Lawson told reporters.

Curtsinger will be sentenced after the case against one last defendant is resolved. Standing beside his attorney, Curtsinger showed no emotion Wednesday as he answered questions from the judge regarding the plea agreement.

Both distilleries targeted by the scheme are in Kentucky’s famed bourbon country, and the heists and resulting criminal case garnered widespread attention.

Curtsinger, who worked on the Buffalo Trace loading docks, distributed the whiskey through a syndicate that included members of his recreational softball team, authorities said.

He loaded whiskey barrels into a pickup truck, covered them with a tarp and hauled them to potential buyers, a Franklin County sheriff’s detective said. Curtsinger wore a Buffalo Trace shirt and presented himself to customers as a distillery employee, the lawman said.

Curtsinger was indicted in 2015 after the Franklin County sheriff’s office received an anonymous tip that several missing Wild Turkey bourbon barrels were stashed on his property.

Armed with a search warrant, sheriff’s officers found barrels containing bourbon behind an outbuilding on the property.

Curtsinger had previously pleaded not guilty to charges that included engaging in organized crime and receiving stolen property over $10,000. Authorities said he often relied on go-betweens to find customers, and the group made connections through softball tournaments.

Investigators said they cracked not only whiskey thefts but a steroid-trafficking scheme as part of the investigation. Curtsinger also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from the steroid operation.

Once the criminal cases are concluded, another issue still looms: what to do with the confiscated bourbon. Becker has had discussions about the purloined barrels and the spirits they hold.

“They might have to be destroyed,” he said.