Kentucky BourbonQ Introduces New Gourmet Line

Wow – the folks at Kentucky BourbonQ have taken grilling and the packaging of barbecue sauces to a whole new level.

This little company that is rich in history and long on quality has the insight to link the state’s beverage of choice to their more popular recipes. Evidently, splashing a little Bourbon in your sauce is a recipe for success, as they have garnered some fairly prestigious awards in the barbecue industry, dating back to 1990 when they won the World Invitational Rib Championship.

Since then, Kentucky BourbonQ has won awards in packaging from the National BBQ Association, and also won Best Sauce Awards (People’s Choice) in Texas. “Winning a First and Second Place with two different sauces at the same event – in Texas, no less – is something I never dreamt of. I don’t think I’d try it again…why ruin the memory?” says Shane Best, president of Kentucky BourbonQ.

Shane and his wife Tracy started producing and packaging sauces in a serious fashion a little over five years ago after burning out on the catering circuit. Most of their current products are sold throughout the Southern tourism industry, where retailers have found their unique blend of humor and good-natured irreverence to be a winning combination.

Now they’ve turned their sights to the gourmet industry with their new BourbonQ line. Simple, classy, prestigious – with a gorgeous shot glass of Aged Kentucky Bourbon calling you from the label of their bourbon flask packaging – this line tells you exactly what you’re getting. Or more precisely, what you now realize you want.
“This line is very prestigious, exclusive,” says Lorraine Campbell of Prospect Party Center in upscale Prospect, Kentucky, a bedroom community of Louisville.

What guy wouldn’t want a grilling sauce gift pack with three shots of Bourbon looking right at you? “We’re taking three recipes that span the history of our company and presenting them in the best packaging we could think of that really made sense,” says Shane. The first flavors to be released are BourbonQ Classic, BourbonQ Barrel Select, and BourbonQ Gold Reserve. The back ingredient panels read like a wine review – or in this case, a BourbonQ review.

And the craze for their products is getting international attention as well. “We have confirmed contracts with retailers in Australia and have started the process that will have us into South America, hopefully within 18 months and all this before the first bottle has come off the line!” says a very happy Best.