B&B: Bourbon & BBQ—which pairs best with which?

The air got a little smokier in May as Americans began firing up their grills for National Barbecue Month and beyond. But there’s more: the team at Moonshine University (MU) in Kentucky, the epicenter of bourbon, looked at BBQ sauces from all over the U.S. and did a big taste test to decide (at least for this year) which bourbons paired the best with each sauce.

Let that stew in your work jealousy for a while.

The Moonshine team tried each sauce with both pork and chicken and then narrowed down which bourbons matched best based off the initial tasting notes of each sauce. Here’s Moonshine University’s top BBQ and bourbon pairings.

Alabama White Sauce

This mayonnaise-based sauce hails from northern Alabama. Beyond mayo, this sauce includes apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Tasters at Moonshine U found the sauce to be very mayonnaise forward, much like ranch dressing but with a slight vinegar tinge.

• Bourbon Pairing: Booker’s

The higher proof of the Booker’s was mellowed out by the oil in the sauce, letting a lot of the flavors in the bourbon to come out in a way they didn’t on their own. Dialing back the alcohol burn really opened the bourbon and since the sauce wasn’t wildly flavorful, tasters didn’t feel anything was lost in the bourbon or in the sauce. It was a nice juxtaposition, pairing the mellowness of the sauce with the boldness of the bourbon.

North Carolina BBQ Sauce

The Carolinas know their BBQ and it’s evident by the showing of three different styles of sauces on this list. The ketchup-based North Carolina version falls under the realm ‘traditional’ sauce. This particular sauce is very sweet, has notes of molasses and is mild, though has a rich umami character.

• Bourbon Pairing: Buffalo Trace

After taking a bite of BBQ with this North Carolina sauce on it and then taking a sip of Buffalo Trace, something magical happens. This relationship birthed a completely new flavor that MU didn’t pick out of the sauce or bourbon individually. The two together brought out a smoky and oaky character that was fantastic. Plus, the bourbon lessened the intensity of the sweetness and allowed a caramel note to pop out. The flavors blended well with one another creating an entirely new sauce and flavor.

Eastern Carolina BBQ Sauce

This Carolina coast vinegar-based sauce is generally spicy. Starting with vinegar instead of ketchup, this sauce is much thinner than all the others on this list; however, everyone on the tasting panel was big fan of spicy and a big fan of this sauce. It was vinegary, hot, spicy, and bold with big flavors. Overall a great and well-balanced sauce.

• Bourbon Whiskey Pairing: Bulleit Rye

This is the only whiskey on the list that isn’t bourbon, but when the team tasted the sauce it knew what would pair perfectly: Bulleit Rye. Bulleit Rye has big, bold flavors that can hold up to the sauce and also has a delightful dill note that when coupled with the sauce gives the experience an almost pickle back note. Generally, not something that would be desired, but with BBQ it’s a perfect flavor creation. The bold flavor of the sauce and whiskey balance each other out and complement each other.

South Carolina Mustard Sauce

This sauce, as the name would indicate, is a mustard-based sauce instead of a typical ketchup or tomato base. The flavor profile is like many of the red barbecue sauces, sweet and spicy. Tasters loved this sauce. It was slightly sweet, a little tangy, and carried a nice balance between apple cider vinegar and mustard. It was loudly exclaimed by a member of the tasting panel, “Ain’t nothing wrong with that sauce!”

• Bourbon Pairing: Maker’s Mark

Maker’s Mark was a perfect complement to this sauce. The sweetness of the bourbon matched the sweetness of the sauce just right and both flavor profiles complemented each other perfectly. Every time tasters took a sip after a bite or a bite after a sip, different flavors popped out, often blending together to create a tangy mustard with a sweet, subtle oak flavor and leaving a light candy flavor aftertaste.

Texas BBQ Sauce

While Texas has many different regions that all prepare their meat differently, MU focused on the sauce. Texas BBQ sauce is one of the styles people traditionally think of when they think of BBQ sauce. This tomato-based sauce is sweetened with molasses or brown sugar. The sauce MU ended up with was a mild sauce and not very spicy at all. It was very tomato forward with black pepper and other spices coming in mid-palate and leaving them with a spicy finish.

• Bourbon Pairing: Woodford Reserve

MU found that Woodford Reserve was the right proof and flavor profile to complement this sauce. The proof added a little heat to the somewhat mild sauce, so the “kick up” in spiciness was a nice addition. The team also mentioned that the rye notes that emerge in Woodford rounded out the sauce and gave it a spicy flavor throughout. The spiciness of the rye in the bourbon paired perfectly with the spices in the BBQ sauce. It is a combo that really brought out the best in each other.

Memphis BBQ Sauce

Memphis knows a thing or two about BBQ as well and is one of the most popular styles of BBQ. This is a ketchup-based sauce that is generally sweet and a little peppery. Everyone enjoyed this style of sauce quite a bit. It hit every part of the mouth with a good flavor and it had a wide breadth of characteristics, not to mention the really nice pepper and coriander notes.

• Bourbon Pairing: Wild Turkey 101

A sauce with that much going on needs to be paired with a bourbon that has a whole lot going on too, but in the same smooth, well-balanced way. That’s how MU paired Wild Turkey 101 with this sauce. The Wild Turkey amplified all the best parts of the Memphis style sauce by adding nice, fruit notes, a subtle smoky note, and offered a full umami experience. The 101 proof of the Wild Turkey was cut back by the sauce, letting the flavors really come out. The combination also produced a delightful, sweet and spicy finish that lingered enjoyable on the tongue.

The debate about which region has the best BBQ will continue for years to come. But the Moonshine U tasting panel tried to find common ground by pairing two of its favorite things together into something we can all agree on. Cheers!

Moonshine University was founded by David Dafoe in 2013. The bourbon epicenter opened its doors on the Distilled Spirits Beverage Campus in Louisville, Kentucky to educate entrepreneurs on how to launch a successful distilling business from concept, to distilling, to bottling. Moonshine University houses the Stave & Thief Society, a bourbon certification program. It was established to promote Kentucky’s distinguished bourbon culture. Stave & Thief Society will lead bourbon enthusiasts, restaurants, bars, hotels and retail employees to become Executive Bourbon Stewards through a standardized training program.