Oscar Mayer Launches the Brand’s Most Unique Bacon Flavor Yet — Its 1st in 5 Years
Oscar Mayer has introduced Maple Bourbon Bacon, the brand’s first new bacon flavor in five years. The thick-cut bacon is cured with Evan Williams Bourbon and prepared with Oscar Mayer’s signature 12-hour slow smoke, making it available at grocery stores nationwide.
The launch, announced via Oscar Mayer’s Instagram on April 5, marks the beginning of a new innovation strategy for the brand. Oscar Mayer plans to introduce a new bacon flavor every year through limited-time releases and may add some to its permanent lineup.
What Makes This Bacon Different From Oscar Mayer’s Other Products
Oscar Mayer describes the flavor as a sweet, smoky maple-kissed savory bite with a smooth bourbon-inspired finish, rounded out by subtle notes of vanilla and caramel from the barrel-aged Kentucky bourbon. The strips are thick-cut and expertly trimmed.
For home cooks looking to stretch one ingredient across multiple meals, the brand says the bacon is “perfect for topping sandwiches, complementing breakfast dishes or even garnishing your favorite cocktail.” An April 11 post on Oscar Mayer’s Instagram showed someone making a breakfast sandwich with the bacon and pairing it with a glass of bourbon topped with a piece of bacon.
Why Oscar Mayer Is Betting on Bold Flavors
The bacon category accounts for one-third of Oscar Mayer’s business, according to the company. That growth is driving the brand’s push into trend-driven flavors.
“While we have been crafting delicious bacon for 90 years, Maple Bourbon Bacon is an exciting new chapter for our bacon portfolio and shows consumers that we are thinking about bacon differently,” said Anna James, Brand Manager for Oscar Mayer. “With the bacon category growing and accounting for one-third of our business, we are leaning into bold, trend-driven flavors our fans want, bringing new energy to a beloved breakfast classic.”
“Some flavor pairings just make sense, and Bourbon and bacon is one of them,” said Max Stefka, AVP Global Whiskeys at Evan Williams. “Partnering with Oscar Mayer on Maple Bourbon Bacon brings together two iconic flavors in a bold and unexpected way, delivering a sweet-and-smoky twist that celebrates the craftsmanship behind our Bourbon.”
Where to Buy the Oscar Mayer Maple Bourbon Bacon
Oscar Mayer says Maple Bourbon Bacon will be available at grocery stores nationwide. Shoppers won’t need to track down a specialty retailer to find it.
However, not all commenters were thrilled about the product details. One commenter urged the brand to “MAKE RESEALABLE PACKAGING PLEASE! And stop increasing the price 😒,” — a concern that may resonate with shoppers watching grocery costs.
Online Reactions to the Flavor Combination Are Divided
Instagram commenters weighed in quickly after the April 5 announcement. “WHOA WHOA WHOA!!! I need this on my breakfast menu!” said one commenter. “Say less, I’m in 🥃🥓,” wrote another. One user was already thinking about recipes, writing, “The BLT’s are gonna be unbelievable.”
Others were skeptical. “The idea is sound, but Evan Williams, really?” one person wrote. Another pushed back on the bourbon angle entirely: “Connecting alcohol to breakfast is disgusting. Please do better.” And one commenter kept it simple: “Maple bacon is a sin fight me.”
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.