What Is Oscar Mayer’s New Bacon Flavor? Everything You Need to Know About the Unique Pairing

Oscar Mayer’s first new bacon flavor in five years is splitting the internet. Some fans can’t wait to get their hands on it. Others want to know why bourbon is anywhere near their breakfast plate.

The brand announced Oscar Mayer Maple Bourbon Bacon, a collaboration with Evan Williams Bourbon, and the reaction online has been anything but quiet — with comments ranging from “WHOA WHOA WHOA!!! I need this on my breakfast menu!” to “Connecting alcohol to breakfast is disgusting.”

How Oscar Mayer Maple Bourbon Bacon Is Made

The new product features thick-cut, expertly trimmed bacon cured with Evan Williams Bourbon. It’s prepared with Oscar Mayer’s signature 12-hour slow smoke and carries subtle notes of vanilla and caramel from the barrel-aged Kentucky bourbon.

The brand describes the flavor as a sweet, smoky maple-kissed savory bite with a smooth bourbon-inspired finish. According to the press release, it is “perfect for topping sandwiches, complementing breakfast dishes or even garnishing your favorite cocktail.”

It will be available at grocery stores nationwide.

Why Oscar Mayer Is Betting Big on Bold Bacon Flavors

This is more than a single product drop. Oscar Mayer Maple Bourbon Bacon marks the start of a new innovation strategy for the brand, which plans to introduce a new bacon flavor every year through limited-time releases and possibly add some to its permanent lineup.

“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.”

The company aims to tap into current food trends and customer feedback to build a steady stream of new flavors and create more occasions for people to enjoy bacon.

“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.”

What Fans and Critics Are Saying Online About the Bourbon Bacon

Oscar Mayer announced the collaboration on Instagram on April 5, captioning the post, “New bacon flavor just dropped 🥓🥃 @OscarMayer Maple Bourbon Bacon made with @evanwilliamsbourbon. Are you ready to savor this flavor?”

The comments split fast. “Great pairing!” one person wrote, while another said, “The BLT’s are gonna be unbelievable.”

Others took issue with the partnership choice or the brand itself. “The idea is sound, but Evan Williams, really?” one commenter wrote. Another said, “MAKE RESEALABLE PACKAGING PLEASE! And stop increasing the price 😒.”

The bourbon angle drew the sharpest responses. “Getting drunk at breakfast, great plan,” one person wrote.

A follow-up post on April 11 showed someone building a breakfast sandwich with the bacon and pairing it with a glass of bourbon garnished with a strip of bacon on top. That brought another round of mixed reactions.

“I thought the bourbon was maple bacon flavored lol that would have been better,” one person said. Another wrote, “Maple bacon is a sin fight me.”

“Connecting alcohol to breakfast is disgusting. Please do better,” said another, while someone else simply wrote, “Wtf.”

Supporters made themselves heard too. “Say less, I’m in 🥃🥓,” one user wrote, while another said, “BREAKFAST IS SERVED.”

What Else Oscar Mayer Is Launching This Spring

The bacon isn’t the only new product. Oscar Mayer is also rolling out two new hot dogs this spring: Beef and Pork Franks — balancing bold beef flavor with juicy pork — and Cheesy Smokehouse Stuffed Hot Dogs, a smoky take on the brand’s cheese-stuffed dog.

This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.