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Media company in the heart of Bourbon Country weighs in on Arby's bourbon bacon sandwiches

Staffers at Networld Media Group in Louisville rate Arby's bourbon and bacon sandwiches.

May 20, 2016 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Arby's is continuing efforts to diversify offerings beyond roast beef, which gave the chain its name. Certainly, this month's special menu additions — three varieties of bourbon and bacon sandwiches — is a salute to the strategy.

This is the second year the chain has offered the whiskey sauce concoctions. And this year, the company blessed the offices of QSRweb.com parent company, Networld Media Group, in Louisville, with samples of the three sandwhich varieties: steak, brisket or turkey covered in bourbon sauce and bacon topping.

The featured menu items are available for about another week (through May 31), so just for the fun of it, Networld Media Group conducted a completely non scientific taste testing. After all, Louisville is the very heart and soul of bourbon country.

Here are reviews from ravenous staffers:

Diana Sexson: "The sweet, smoky bacon pairs wonderfully well with the moist, smoked brisket. Topped with a lovely spicy bourbon mustard, it is a delight to the taste buds. The bourbon, bacon and battered-fried onions lend a nice crispy texture to a tasty sandwich. All this goodness is topped with an artisan bun. (I) really didn't taste much bourbon in the sauce, but the flavors meld together with the sweet, smoky and tangy to produce an enjoyable sandwich. Your mouth goes, ‘Mmmm,' when you bite into it."

Others agreed, but were more to the point. In fact, without specifying which sandwich variety he had, John Vinson made it clear that it really didn't matter, as long as bacon and bourbon were involved. As he put it:  "Bourbon + bacon = heaven."

Not everyone, however, was on board with the pork sandwich. In fact, about half of those who responded with their views said they were less than impressed.

Jennifer Recktenwald: "I didn't fall in love with the bourbon, bacon and turkey. Too many different tastes combined on one sandwich for me. I liked the sauce and the turkey together."

Others who weighed in admitted they hadn't even tasted the sandwiches.

Willie Lawless, along with a few other reviewers, got stuck on the amalgam of Dijon and bourbon: "There was a sauce on it that I just couldn't get past."

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.