10 Store-Bought Bourbon Barbecue Sauces, Ranked

Calling all barbecue lovers! If you're a fan of slow-smoked meat slathered in sauce, squeezed on a bun, and served with a side of coleslaw? You're in the right place. Of course, the main ingredient that can make or break a barbecue meal is the barbecue sauce. There's no one-size-fits-all version of the condiment, after all. Different regions even have their own opinions on what makes a proper sauce, often touting their own recipes to match. But rather than an all-encompassing look at the world of barbecue sauces, I instead chose to take a closer look at bourbon barbecue sauces on the market.

Simply put, bourbon and barbecue are a match made in heaven. The sharp, oaky, often sweet notes present in various bourbons lend themselves well to the sauce, adding smoky undertones that can bring more depth to your barbecued meat. Sure, you could make your own bourbon sauce, but why go to the hassle when bottled recipes have already been perfected?

 grabbed 10 different bourbon barbecue sauces (all available on Amazon) to try, then ranked them based on flavor profile and how strong the bourbon is in each, so you'll have no trouble picking out your next buy. My general conclusion? Flavor profiles of each bottle will boast some stunning differences, even if they all use bourbon as a prime ingredient. To find your next bottle, I'd read through all the descriptions below and choose the one that most appeals to you.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

KosmosQ isn't some new player in the barbecue sauce game, and I have to assume some of its award-winning sauces are significantly better than this Maple Bourbon BBQ Glaze. As for this one, the bottle is no more and no less than what it's purported to be: A thin, sticky glaze that I'd be hard-pressed to use on its own with any type of barbecue, so it comes in last.

Now, if you like your smoked meat to taste exceptionally sweet, this could be a good bottle to slather on toward the end of the cooking process. Even so, you'll still want to find another sauce to pair it with. The brand's maple bourbon BBQ Glaze was pretty one-note in terms of its flavor profile, and the maple glaze was fairly cloying. The bourbon added some slightly smoky undertones to the sauce, but didn't do enough to temper its sweetness.

More than anything, though, this KosmosQ product failed to set itself apart among the other selections on this list. I'd be more inclined to use this sauce to upgrade a stack of pancakes than pour it on my barbecue. It may not be a bad choice necessarily for fans of sweeter barbecue sauces. But seeing how you'll need to buy an additional sauce to pair it with, this comes at the bottom. 

Another unfortunately one-note sauce is the Open Pit Brown Sugar & Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. If you've made a habit of trying different barbecue sauce brands, there's a decent chance you've come across this brand at least once or twice in your local grocery store. Its wide availability and generally cheap price make it an easily justifiable grab. Unfortunately, if you're in the market for a quality bourbon barbecue sauce that you're hoping will become a pantry staple, this isn't the brand I'd choose.

While Open Pit's Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is definitely "thick & sweet" as its bottle claims, that's about all it was — very thick and very sweet. The main reason it ranked higher than the last place sauce is because the brown sugar made it less saccharine than the former's maple syrup base.

To be sure, you'll taste brown sugar right off the bat, before the bourbon comes through to round out the flavor. This gives it some staying power, adding a depth and tang to it. On the plus side, I'd call this a good choice for anyone who doesn't like spicy barbecue sauces. If you want your sauce to hit you with an explosion of flavor, though, this isn't the pick for you, hence it's second-to-last placement.

In all honesty, I enjoyed every sauce on this list to some degree. With that in mind, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Original Barbecue Sauce will likely appeal to some palates; everyone's taste buds are different, after all. But like the handful of bourbon barbecue sauces ranked right ahead of it, this brand's sauce was somewhat unbalanced, so it ranks near the bottom.

Of course, compared to the two lowest ranked entries, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Original Barbecue Sauce has a much more complex flavor profile. The first taste imparts very smoky notes, before ending with an almost sour tang that sits on the back of your tongue. The burn you sometimes get with bourbon is overwhelmed by sharp jalapeño notes, though the pure flavor of bourbon is still present.

In the end, the fact that this was way too tomato-forward worked against this bottle. Since I don't love that in a barbecue sauce, this ranked below comparable options. But if you prefer a smoky and tangy sauce that's slightly sour, this could be a good buy for you.

Fighting Cock's Bourbon Barbecue Sauce was the first sauce I tried for this tasting. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I'm surprised I eventually placed it at number seven. But that's more of a credit to the higher-ranked bourbon barbecue sauces than a knock against the brand. Quite frankly, if you want a sauce that packs some intense heat, this is a no-brainer buy. While intense spice doesn't often agree with me, even I found myself drawn to this, going back for taste after taste of this sauce. It may have hurt a little bit, but it was so good.

This sauce takes you on a flavor journey from start to finish. You're hit with a gentle sweetness that slowly gives way to spicy pepper notes throughout the taste. The smoke of the bourbon adds a welcome grounding component, helping tie everything together while tempering the spice to make it bearable.

Of course, despite being incredibly good, there was one big reason I couldn't rank Fighting Cock's higher. While bourbon showed itself in the sauce's smoky qualities, I didn't get many hints of the whiskey flavor beyond that. I don't think I'd have been able to identify it in the sauce's flavor profile had the bottle not assured me it was in there. If this had a stronger bourbon flavor, it might be a couple spots higher, but the lacking bourbon taste kept it in the bottom half.

If you've tried pairing fruit with bourbon before, you may already know that the sweet, juicy tang of peaches offers a lovely contrast to the smoky (and sometimes soft) vanilla notes present in bourbon. This likely meant the creation of a peach bourbon barbecue sauce was inevitable, and Kinder's Bourbon Peach BBQ Sauce is one of two bourbon peach sauces on this list. Though I enjoyed both of them, this ranked slightly lower because it doesn't offer as much as the higher-ranked selection (hold that thought).

Still, if you want an excessively smooth bourbon sauce, this is an excellent choice. Most of its sweetness comes from the peach notes, which also helps keep the sauce from becoming too cloying. Peaches and brown sugar take over upfront, with bourbon mostly coming through at the end. The bourbon mellows the rest of the sauce, though, giving it a pleasantly smoky finish. There's also a tiny bit of heat that sticks to your soft palate if you let the sauce get there.

This very juicy sauce will activate your salivary glands and leave you wanting more. Anyone looking for a smooth-riding bourbon peach sauce will find this a solid buy, even if it couldn't crack the top five.

Up next is my second bourbon peach pick: Green Jay Gourmet's Peach Bourbon Barbeque Sauce. A super unique barbecue sauce, this is an easy pick for those wanting something beyond a standard barbecue sauce. It may look a little like ketchup, but don't let its appearance fool you. This simple-looking sauce packs a punch of flavors, helping set it apart from other lower-ranked contenders on this list.

While the peach notes in this barbecue sauce are insanely strong, I don't think anyone would find it overwhelming. Instead, the heightened peach flavor makes the sauce's bourbon notes hit that much stronger, giving a greater contrast in flavor profile (one I didn't see in many other sauces on this list). Moreover, this bottle packs a spicy kick, and boasts such a distinctly peach flavor that I'd have no trouble guessing what was in it if I tasted it blind.

Even if bourbon is mostly complementary rather than the star, it's a very welcome one. It gives some body and depth to what could have been a very peachy condiment otherwise. Picky consumers might prefer the previous bourbon peach sauce I mentioned. But any adventurous eaters will likely prefer this option, so it comes at number five.

If you want a bourbon sauce to marinade some meat in, Elijah's Xtreme Bourbon Blueberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce gives you a unique and flavorful place to start. Aside from being a delicious sauce, the brand is owned and operated by a father and son duo whose passion for peppers shines through in their craft. In fact, if you're into supporting smaller businesses and you love hot sauce, make a point to check this brand out. I, for one, loved it, which is why it ranks it the top half.

The first thing that struck me about this marinade-slash-sauce was its aroma, which immediately wafted out of the bottle upon opening. It smelled heavily of a late-summer blueberry field that was ripe for picking, before the bourbon came in to suggest a seasonal change into fall. And while I was a little worried about its thin viscosity when I poured it out, it was quickly apparent why the creators made that choice: A thicker sauce could easily overwhelm the palate.

Now, it's an admittedly short-lived tasting experience, but it packs a punch while you're in it. Blueberries take the forefront and are the only flavor that lingers at the end. Chipotle adds some flavor, while the bourbon's oaky flavor rides underneath all these bright notes to bring them some depth to the sauce.

Smoke on Wheels' Bootleg Bourbon Infused BBQ Sauce was the smokiest sauce in this ranking by far, and it's clear the company knows its stuff when it comes to barbecue sauces. This is made even more apparent by a quick glance at its website. After all, Smoke on Wheels is a multi-award-winning barbecue brand that offers classes to anyone wanting to further dig their heels into this particular culinary tradition. Given all that, it's no wonder it came in third place on this list.

Made by a top name in the barbecue world,you can bet I'll be consulting Smoke on Wheels for any future barbecue-related inquiries. The flavors in this sauce come in a very distinct order. You start with a welcome and warming smoky flavor, which is followed by some sweetness that gives way to a spicy end.

Bourbon acts as an undertone in each of these stages, helping ground you throughout the taste while ensuring it's still perceptible. As a result, I'd call this one of the most complex of all the sauces on this list. I might be tempted to thin it out and use it as a marinade before cooking, or slathering it on the finished product. Either way, while I wouldn't say it's the most bourbon-rich sauce on this list, it's a safe bet that the average consumer will like it very much.

The number two spot on this list had to go to Freelance Foods Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. The brand was founded by Chef Lance Allen Kramer, who held nothing back when creating this particular bourbon barbecue sauce. The company delivers on its promise to "go big, bold, and out of the box" with its flavors.

This barbecue got its high ranking mostly because it had the most potent bourbon flavor by a mile. If you're looking for a sauce that'll leave nobody guessing as to its boozy star ingredient, this is hands-down your best pick. Bourbon will hit you first in the aroma of this sauce, which has somewhat of a reverse tasting experience compared to other entries in this ranking. Whereas many other picks saw bourbon coming through toward the middle-end of the bite, it's the first thing you'll taste with this bottle.

The smokiness of the bourbon slowly intensifies and almost transforms into a robust spice that, though definitely hot, didn't overwhelm me. Frankly, I thought the balance of flavors was just about perfect in this bottle. It was tangibly different from the rest of this list in its intensity, and a welcome departure from some sauces toward the bottom that had me searching for bourbon flavors.

There's a good reason Stubb's is a household name in the barbecue sauce business. The brand makes some of the best barbecue sauces on the market, after all, and its Hickory Bourbon Bar-B-Q Sauce is no exception. Of course, there are several reasons why this earned the top spot on this list — none of which have to do with its notoriety.

Stubb's may not have had the boldest bourbon flavor of the bottles I tried (that honor went to Freelance Foods), nor did it take me on a rollercoaster flavor journey like some of the other sauces in this ranking. But it still shines because of its impeccably balanced flavor profile, lending itself to the widest audience of any other sauce on this list. There's something to be said for having a deep flavor that's also universally palatable. It's a feat to accomplish but Stubb's has done it, and I think both novice and cultured palates alike would appreciate this bottle.

It's hickory-smoked notes are abundantly present and the bourbon flavor just amps that up a notch. The slight spice that follows you throughout the taste gives a welcome reminder that you're eating barbecue but, like a ghost, it doesn't linger too long at the end. This bottle will conjure up memories of eating around campfires. It's just really, really good, with little for any palate to complain about.

When picking bourbon barbecue sauces to rank, I aimed to ensure each list item was available to a wide audience, so I chose options that can at least be found on Amazon (if not your local grocery store). I tried each sauce on its own, taking a couple tastes of each one to get a full picture of its flavor profile.

The higher-ranked sauces generally featured an impeccable balance of flavor notes, with the bourbon easily distinguishable in each product. Conversely, the selections ranked toward the bottom of this list are more one-note in flavor, while any middle-of-the-pack choices were good, but less balanced than the top contenders.

Additionally, I oscillated a bit regarding which sauce earned the number one spot, before up going with Stubb's. While it's not a wildly popular brand per se, it was the most balanced of all the sauces I sampled — and was incredibly delicious, too. In other words, it was the one I felt would be the most palatable to a wider audience.